How to Train Your Sharptooth
by TLBT Nerd
Summary: Littlefoot discovers a mysterious dinosaur that no one knew anything about. After befriending the dino, a new threat arose. Now, these unlikely companions must fight to protect those they care about. But, this mystery dino has secrets that even it didn't know about.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Secrets**

70 million years ago, in the Great Valley, Littlefoot and his friends were enjoying a game of Toss-the-Seed, except with a melon. Cera, Littlefoot, and Petrie on one team, Ducky, Spike, and Ruby on the other, while Chomper was off searching for Stinging Buzzers. The current score was tied at 9-9, and the next one to score would win, "Cera, over to you!" Ducky said, kicking the fruit. Spike was alongside her, ready to intercept the pass. The fruit flew through the air, heading towards them both. Cera knew what Spike was going to try to do, but she was prepared, "No you don't!" she said. She jumped up in front of him and caught it in her mouth.

Now all she had to do was make the goal, or pass it to Littlefoot, who was open and close, "Cera! Pass it to me!" he called. Cera wanted the bragging rights for scoring and therefore winning, so she kept running, feeling confident that she could do this. Ruby caught on and covered Littlefoot in case Cera decided to pass to him, "Cera! Me open! Pass to me!" Petrie said. Cera wasn't going to pass. Ducky was also close to the goal and was completely open, "Get it, Spike!" she said. Spike didn't need to do much.

Cera was running just a little too fast, and not really looking directly ahead. Because of this, she ended up tripping over an overgrown tree root, causing the melon to fly out of her mouth, "Now, Spike!" Ducky said. Spike was already on it. He grabbed it before Cera could comprehend what happened, "Oh, no." she said when she saw Spike run toward the goal, "No, no, no." she said, hurriedly getting back onto her feet and pursuing him.

She was slowly gaining ground on Spike, but there wasn't enough distance for her to catch up. Spike made it across, bringing home the win, "Yay! Good job, Spike!" Ruby said. Spike nodded, and of course, immediately ate the melon, "Oh, Spike. You always eat the ball after." Ducky said. Cera wasn't happy that her team lost, but, she had learned a thing called good sportsmanship, and she was getting good at showing it, "Good game, everyone." she said.

"Yeah. Wanna find Chomper and play Hide-from-the-Sharptooth?" Littlefoot suggested. As if to answer him, they all felt heavy footsteps approaching, "Gah! What that?!" Petrie said, worryingly as he clung to Littlefoot's neck. "Calm down, Petrie. There's nothing that will hurt you in the Valley." Littlefoot said. Then Chomper came running to them with a whole hive of Stinging Buzzers, "Hey guys! You've got to try these! They're the best Buzzers I've ever tasted." Chomper said eagerly.

While the Buzzers' sting Chomper couldn't feel, they flew at everyone else, "Okay. Those can hurt us. Get to the water!" Littlefoot said. They all ran to the watering hole to avoid getting stung. Chomper was confused at first, but then he remembered, "Oops. Buzzers stings don't affect me, but they do sting them. I eat Buzzers, but they certainly don't. Better get rid of these before they come back." he thought.

He put the hive between two branches of a tree, and some were still trying to sting him, "Well, waste not, want not." he said, eating the rest. The others were still running to the water, receiving a couple stings here and there, "Ow! Chomper makes this mistake a lot. Ow!" Cera said. Littlefoot agreed, "I know, but it's just a mistake. And, in all honesty, sometimes it's not that bad. This is not one of those times. Ow!" he said. Once at the watering hole, they all jumped in and swam away from the surface.

They stayed down there for a while until they vaguely heard Chomper chomping at the swarms of bugs, eventually getting them all. Once they didn't hear the sound of buzzing anymore, they poked their heads out to check, and also to, of course, get more air, "Did you get rid of the Buzzers?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper nodded, still chewing on a group of them, "Thank you." he said. They all got out of the water, and Spike shook to dry himself off but also splashing Ducky at the same time.

To get back at him, she also shook herself off, "How do you like that?" she said. Needless to say, one thing led to another, and another, ultimately leading to everyone splashing each other until Grandma Longneck came upon the scene, "Children." she said. Everyone stopped and looked at her, "Hey, Grandma." Littlefoot said. "Sleeping time little ones." she said. All of them agreed, "Okay, Grandma." Littlefoot said, going with her.

Then the others started hearing their names being called, "Bye, Littlefoot. See you tomorrow!" Cera said. Littlefoot said his goodbyes and went back with Grandma. Once home, he was greeted by Grandpa, "There you are, Littlefoot." he said. Littlefoot laid down next to him, and he noticed that Littlefoot was still wet, "Don't mind me asking this, but, what were you doing?" he said. Littlefoot knew why he was asking, "Oh. Chomper tried to bring us another hive of Stinging Buzzers, and we ran to the watering hole. But after we got out, Spike splashed Ducky, then she splashed him back and…you can guess where I'm going with this." he said.

Grandpa laughed, "I understand. You know, I did things just like that when I was a youngster." he said. Then Grandpa wanted to tell Littlefoot a story before he went to sleep, "Do you want to hear a story?" he asked. Littlefoot nodded, "Sure." he replied. Grandma looked at Grandpa, "Isn't it a little late for stories?" she said. Grandpa shook his head, "No, I'll just tell him one. Of course, nothing scary." he said. Grandma figured if Littlefoot wanted to hear it, she had no reason to stop it from being told, "Okay." she said, heading off for a quick meal before she went to sleep.

Grandpa smiled, "What's the story, Grandpa? Is it actually scary?" Littlefoot asked. Grandpa thought about that, "The only way this story is scary is if you believe it's real. It's a story about a journey that I went through when I was young. And one that changed me forever." he said. Littlefoot listened carefully, "Okay." he said. Grandpa began, "Long ago, before the great drought, me and my friends were about as adventurous as…well… about as adventurous as you are. No matter the danger that we could have faced, we never turned down a single one, even if our parents felt otherwise. But, we always told them everything that we had done, and they usually enjoyed listening. But, there is one adventure in particular that neither me nor any of my remaining friends have spoken about to anyone but each other. But I trust that you will not tell anybody. At all. This is one that you absolutely have to keep a secret. Okay?" he said.

Littlefoot was intrigued, and also curious as to what could've happened to make Grandpa want to keep it a secret, "Grandpa keeping this big of a secret for so long? And telling just me? It must be something very interesting. Or very dangerous. Do I actually want to know what happened and bear with the burden of not being able to tell anyone else? Or should I just say no and not worry?" he said to himself. He felt that if he said no, he'd then want to know so badly about what he was going to say. After a minute or so of pondering this, he said yes, and Grandpa started telling him, "Okay. One day, while me and my friends were just enjoying some tree stars, when food everywhere was plentiful, we heard some of the slightly older Longnecks talking about some Sharpteeth that were stalking us, waiting to pick the herd off one-by-one. When we heard this, we were not worried in the slightest because out there, that's the common thing to expect, not to mention we were sure that the adults could fend off any Sharpteeth we came across. But then we started hearing more conversations, from the elders, that it was just one. Now, as younglings, we were curious, so we discreetly listened in." he said.

"What'd they say?" Littlefoot asked. "Well…I can't remember everything they said, but I do remember that one said the Sharptooth alone had killed off 4 of the strongest members of his herd. We thought it was just Sharptooth on his own. We wanted to ask one of them at a later point, but then we heard a screech in the distance. One that sent a chill through my whole body. In fact, every single Longneck in the herd looked in that direction, and I could tell they were worried. The screech didn't sound like any dinosaur I've ever heard. Not even a Sharptooth. But something about it made my friends curious. Now, I could tell they wanted to see what made the sound. And, to be honest, I did, too, but our parents taught us otherwise. They would have brought me, but their parents, knowing their adventurous nature, stopped them before they could even think about asking me. After that, the Bright Circle was leaving the sky, and the females guarded all us young ones while the males guarded the area in the event that a Sharptooth attacked us, as was expected during that time. I wasn't asleep for very long before both of them woke me up and wanted to search for that Sharptooth. I told them I didn't want to get into trouble or take the risk of being killed. I don't remember how they did it exactly, but somehow they managed to convince me, and we were off. Now, I didn't think it was possible to get past the guards without being seen, but no, my friends had thought of everything. They knew what the guards did every night. I don't remember how we snuck past them, but we did. When we did, they started running, I believe it was to make sure that we wouldn't be spotted, and I did the same. Now, the whole time, I was wondering how they were thinking to even find a Sharptooth, but I was also afraid to ask." he continued.

"Did you?" Littlefoot queried. Grandpa paused for a few moments, "Yes. I did. Asking that question was the most terrifying thing that I'd ever done. When I asked, they both looked at each other, and then back to me, and I had a bad feeling about what they were thinking. I was right to be worried. They decided that since I was the youngest of us all, I should be used as bait. I asked them how they even knew if the Sharptooth was still around. They gave me no answer. They just wrapped some vines around me and hid in some bushes. I was horrified that if any Sharptooth showed up, they'd just leave me to die. The three of us waited, and waited, and waited. No Sharptooth came for a while. Which was surprising because the night was their prime hunting time. Just as they were getting ready to untie me, they heard the same screech, only much closer, and quieter since none of the herd woke up. They ran right back into the bushes. At first, I thought it was Sharptooth. The only thing that got me doubting that was that I did not hear heavy footsteps, nor did I feel the ground shake. I froze when I heard the screech, and through other bushes, I could see something moving slowly through them. I thought it was a Fast Biter getting ready to attack me, but I was wrong. I realized it wasn't a Fast Biter the moment I saw a claw moving through the bushes. It was getting dangerously close to them, but then its head emerged. It looked right at me and I just felt the life draining out from me. It was much bigger than a Fast Biter, but smaller than a Horned Sharptooth ( _Carnotaurus_ ). It had skin colors I've never seen together. All black with an orange…line going from its neck to its tail. It walked like a four-footer. Its mouth was smothered with blood. It…it moved so slowly, almost like it was hesitating to attack. It just kept circling around me. It felt as if it was taunting me with the possibility I could run away. I wanted to scream. To alert the herd. I tried, but I couldn't make a sound. Then, it stopped. It stopped directly in front of me and looked at my chest. I was just waiting for it to attack and my life to end, but it didn't. It just…grabbed the vines that were wrapped around me. Then it looked into my eyes again, and it started smelling me. I was petrified and didn't try to imagine what could've happened next. When it stopped, it raised its claw, and I closed my eyes, but I heard the vines snap. I opened one eye, and I saw it had cut the vines. I looked down to see if it had cut me, but I saw nothing. Ever since then, I've wondered exactly what it was thinking. My only idea is that it somehow could sense the fear in me, and...not kill me. It just stood there for a while, staring at me, and I was doing the same. I realized that there was something different about that Sharptooth. Unfortunately, this didn't last much longer. A guard from the herd saw it and gave the danger call. All the guards then converged on it and it vanished into the bushes. Once it was gone, my mother came and started chastising me, as did my friends' mothers." he said.

"Is that everything?" Littlefoot asked. Grandpa sighed, "It was…for a short time. Only a few nights after, I was out for a quick tree star when I heard something breathing around me. Against my better judgment, I wanted to know what it was. It didn't take long for my question as to what it was to be answered. Its head emerged from inside a tree, this time. This time I had a little more confidence. Granted, I was still scared to the bone, but I just…had a strange feeling about it. Again, it didn't attack me. We just stared at each other again. A few hours before then, I had slipped in a marsh and got a stick slightly stuck in my ankle. It noticed this and looked more closely at it. It then started climbing the tree. I turned to head back, but then I heard it come back down. I looked back and it had some wet-looking leaves in its mouth. I stopped and it started tending to my wound. First, it removed the stick, and started covering my wound with the leaves. It stung horribly, but I just ignored it. Somehow the Sharptooth knew that the tree stars helped with wounds. What I did next, I was surprised at. And I still am to this day." he said.

"W…What did you do?" Littlefoot queried, now more curious than he'd ever been. Grandpa sighed again, "I spoke to it. I don't know what made me ask this, but I did. I said, 'What are you?' I wasn't expecting any sort of response from it, especially a verbal one. But I was wrong again. It stopped temporarily, and it dug words into the ground. Somehow it knew our language and it dug, 'female' into the dirt. I thought, and I still do think, that she was probably one of the most sophisticated, if not THE most sophisticated Sharptooth that's ever been encountered by anyone. Anyway, she continued soaking the plants onto my cut. Then my mother happened to come across the scene, and she froze. So did the Sharptooth. Both of them stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. If only it was an eternity. Another guard saw the Sharptooth, gave the danger call, my mother quickly grabbed & carried me away, and the Sharptooth just kept looking at me as I was being carried. I couldn't help but look back at her. This time, she didn't leave and the guards surrounded her. They were going to kill her. But right as one of them was about to step on her, she moved, but she was very quick. She moved faster than any Sharptooth, or any dinosaur for that matter, than I'd ever seen. I could barely see her at all. After that, it was chaos. Everyone else started panicking and running away with us youngsters while the males stayed back in an attempt to kill her. I didn't see much after that because we were getting very far from the males. But the one thing I did see and could never forget is that I saw my father fall onto his side…and the Sharptooth standing by his head, before looking back at me one more time. I was heartbroken. After a lot of running, my mother, along with the rest of the herd, stopped to rest. My mother then asked me why I was near the Sharptooth, which she called a 'Mystery Tooth.' She then explained that before me, and even before her, that the Mystery Tooth was an unknown kind of dinosaur. No one knew anything about it, apart from what it looked like, and what it always ate. But, from what she said, only one dinosaur ever lived to tell the tale. But he was treated like he was crazy, though some believed him. When she said Mystery Tooth, every single member of the herd looked at us. And the eldest of all the elders came over, and my mother explained what she had seen. The elder said that there was only a single Mystery Tooth per generation. My mother didn't dare argue with the elder. She and I both knew what we saw. But since then, I have not seen the Mystery Tooth, or even heard about her." he finished.

Littlefoot was shocked that such a thing could happen, "Are you sure this happened? I mean…a unknown kind Sharptooth, for one. But a Sharptooth…not attacking you? Tending to your wound like a mother? It just…it…it just doesn't sound like anything a normal Sharptooth would do, especially to a Flattooth." Littlefoot said. Grandpa nodded, "Of course, she was no ordinary Sharptooth. But even if she was, I couldn't agree with you more, Littlefoot. What she did was nothing even comparable to any Sharptooth that's ever lived. She didn't think like a normal Sharptooth, but I never saw her enough to know anything more about her. You don't have to believe anything that I say if you don't want to. But since I haven't seen her, or any of her kind—if there even are others of her kind—I'd have to assume she's dead. Honesty, even if she is still alive, I don't think we'll ever see her." he said, laying his head down to sleep.

Littlefoot thought otherwise, "But…what if you did see her again?" he asked. Grandpa looked back at him, "If I ever saw her again? I have a feeling that she won't remember me. This was long ago." he answered. Littlefoot said nothing else, "Well, I'd say that it's about time to get some rest, don't you?." he said. Littlefoot agreed by yawning, "Yeah. Good night, Grandpa." he said. "Good night, Littlefoot." he said back. After they both drifted off to sleep, Grandma came back and laid next to them before also falling asleep.

This was going to be Littlefoot's last normal night. What became of his life after that, he never could've seen coming.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: You're A Mystery**

Littlefoot began to have a sleep-story he will never forget, and one that began the slow change of his life.

 _It was just a normal day in the Valley, Littlefoot playing Swimmer-Splasher with his friends, the adults casually socializing. Everything seemed completely normal, that is until Littlefoot decided to go into the Hidden Canyon. Even though it was blocked off, he knew a roundabout way. Once he was in, he looked at the trees that once contained the fruits Sharpteeth hated, "Those tree sweets were so good. I wish we had known they smelled bad to Sharpteeth before we ate so many. Oh well. The past is the past." he said._

 _He heard the screech, "That sounds like a…what was it called? Uh…Misery Tooth? No. Come on…what was it called? Uhm…Mys…Mystery Tooth!" he said. As soon as he finished, heard a voice started speaking, seemingly to him in a sing-song way, "_ _ **One. Two, she is coming for you. Three. Four, you'd better run for sure.**_ _" it said. Littlefoot then heard panting coming from ahead. He saw something running past the passageway that led to the Mysterious Beyond, "What is that?" he asked aloud to himself._

 _He squinted to get a better look at the dino, and he saw it was running on two feet, but then it stopped and dropped onto all fours, and began sniffing the air, only Littlefoot didn't know that last detail. Then he was able to see the colors on its skin, "(Gasps) Black body, with an orange line going along it. That is most definitely a Mystery Tooth." he thought._

 _Then the dino caught his scent and looked straight at him, "And it most definitely saw me." he said. The dino started running towards him, "And I definitely should start sprinting for my life." He said, before bolting back through the way he came. Once back inside, he thought he was safe because he thought the Mystery Tooth couldn't fit through, but he was quite wrong. Cera looked behind him and gasped, "Sharptooth!" she screamed. Every adult turned their direction and saw the dino, which had stopped as soon as it got in._

 _Littlefoot was expecting all the adults to attack it, but none did. The dino then looked at him again and started walking towards him and the others, "Somebody do something!" Cera yelled. The adults just started backing away as the Mystery Tooth got closer to them. It attacked nobody and kept walking toward Littlefoot, "It's after us! Split up!" Cera said. The young ones all scattered, and the Mystery Tooth stopped and looked at Littlefoot, who it saw for a split-second before he turned a corner. It turned in his direction and continued walking. Littlefoot ran and ran, not even looking back._

 _Eventually, he did look back to check, and he saw nothing, but he also ran into a tree, "Ow. At least I lost the Mystery Tooth." he thought. He noticed that he was in a dead-end, and started walking out of there. But, right as he was about to leave, the Mystery Tooth walked in from the left. Littlefoot stopped and gasped. Had he not gasped, perhaps the Mystery Tooth wouldn't have seen him. The Mystery turned its head to him, then it turned its whole body to face him as he started backing away. It followed, walking the same speed Littlefoot was._

 _Littlefoot kept backing up until he bumped into the wall, "Oh, no. How do I get out of this?" he thought. The Mystery Tooth stopped slightly before Littlefoot hit the wall. Now, it stared at him, but not for nearly as long. It snarled at him, and its mouth started watering. Then, the rest of the gang skidded to a stop in front of the dead-end. They wanted to do something, but the fear of death made them stay put, except Chomper. He walked and stopped behind the Mystery Tooth, who didn't seem like it cared about him. It opened its mouth and was about to attack, but then it saw the tree and started to climb up it._

" _Chomper, let's get out of here before that thing comes back down." Littlefoot said. Chomper nodded, but as soon as Littlefoot took one step forward, the Mystery Tooth jumped down on him from the tree, and it tried biting his head, but Littlefoot put his front legs up to attempt to hold the dino back, "Chomper!" he said. Chomper just stood there. Eventually, the Mystery Tooth bit his neck. But as his life was being torn from him, he woke up._

"Aaaaaaah!" he yelled. Everyone was looking at him, as if they were waiting for him to get up, "Are you alright, Littlefoot?" Cera asked. Littlefoot looked around to make sure everything was real, "Yeah. Just a bad sleep-story. That's it." he said, panting. He got up for the day and went to the watering hole. The others were playing Swimmer-Splasher, while he was drinking and Chomper was catching s few Stinging Buzzers flying around a tree. While Littlefoot was drinking, he couldn't help but picture the Mystery Tooth just attack him, like a jump scare, and it made him reel back. Chomper saw it out of the corner of his eye, and he came over, "Everything okay over here? Does the water taste bad?" he asked.

Littlefoot didn't know he was next to him, so he gasped, but answered, "No, everything's fine, Chomper. ( _Quietly_ ) Everything's just great. I have to keep Grandpa's secret a secret, and now I feel that the image of that Sharptooth will haunt me." he said. Apparently, he wasn't speaking quite as quietly as he thought, so Chomper heard some of what he said, "Did you say Sharptooth?" he asked. Littlefoot didn't think he was speaking loud enough for Chomper to hear, "No." he said quickly.

Now, Chomper knew something was wrong, but he wasn't sure if pressuring Littlefoot for answers was the right thing to do at that moment, so he just pretended like he believed Littlefoot, "Oh, okay. I must be hearing things. Wanna play Hide-and-Seek?" he queried. Littlefoot shook his head, "No, not right now. Another time, definitely. But thanks for asking." he said, beginning to walk away. Chomper waved goodbye, and as soon as Littlefoot was about to disappear from his sight, he followed him, "I know I heard him say Sharptooth. And, judging by how he's trying to deny it, I assume he is not talking about me." he thought.

Littlefoot walked to the Hidden Canyon for some reason that even he didn't know, "I don't want to go in there. No matter how little the number of tree sweets that are left, they still smell horrible. But, you gotta do what you gotta do for friends." Chomper thought. Littlefoot kept walking until he was close to the exit, then he sat down and stared into the Mysterious Beyond. In the event that a Sharptooth—not Chomper, of course—started coming towards him, he could just run back in. He knew that not even a Fast Biter could fit through the hole.

Chomper wanted to ask Littlefoot what was bothering him, but right now he just wanted to know why Littlefoot would go to the edge of the Valley. So he got as close as he could without him noticing, and he listened in, "Would it have been better to say no? ( _Sighs_ ) No, of course not. You've would've wanted to know it more than ever. You're just going to have to deal with keeping this private, and the terrible sleep-stories that are going to follow it. I guess that is a lot better than not knowing." he said.

Chomper was very curious as to what Littlefoot could be talking about. But he saw a Sailback Sharptooth looking in Littlefoot's direction, and he started walking back to the hole as Littlefoot was standing up again. Littlefoot turned to go back home, and luckily he didn't see Chomper.

Later that day, just before the Bright Circle would leave the sky, Chomper approached Littlefoot and acted like he didn't see or hear anything, "Hey, Littlefoot." he said. Littlefoot didn't say anything, but nodded in response and kept walking. Chomper decided he had to say something, "Littlefoot, did you go out of the Valley?" he asked. Littlefoot then stopped and looked at him, "What makes you think I went outside?" he queried back. "Well, after you left the watering hole, I noticed that your scent trail seemed to lead outside. Or at least, to where the Hidden Canyon was." he said.

Littlefoot had forgotten that Chomper could smell where he was, "Oh. Right. Okay…I did leave, but I just needed to think in solitude." he admitted. Chomper took this as a possible opportunity to see what Littlefoot was thinking about, "Why would you need to be alone to think? Is it something important? Something big? What?" he queried again. Littlefoot just wanted to tell him, but he just didn't want to do that. He'd feel bad, or Chomper would accidentally tell someone else, and then someone else would tell someone else, then someone else, and then it would spread like a wildfire from there, "I…I can't…I ca…" he said before running.

Chomper pursued him, "Littlefoot, wait!" he called. Littlefoot just kept running, "Littlefoot, stop!" he yelled again. He wasn't stopping anytime soon, so Chomper had to do something, "I haven't done this before, but he won't stop otherwise." he thought. Chomper got himself ready, and he sprinted faster, slowly gaining ground on Littlefoot. When he was right next to him, he looked around, just to be sure there weren't any adults around to witness what he was going to do.

He saw none anywhere near them, and he saw thick foliage ahead, "It's now or never." he thought. Then he did it. He bit into Littlefoot's leg, which caused him to fall and do a few rolls before coming to a stop right before the bushes. Littlefoot was slightly dazed, so he didn't say anything at that moment. Perfect for Chomper to drag him into the bushes. He waited a few seconds before Littlefoot regained his bearings, "Why did you…?!" he yelled before Chomper covered his mouth.

"I did that because you wouldn't stop. All you had to do was tell me what's bothering you, and you wouldn't so I had no choice. Now, would you like to tell me what is bothering you?" he said firmly. He kept his claw over Littlefoot's mouth until he nodded, "I'm going to uncover your mouth now, trusting that you will not scream." he said, slowly removing his hand. Littlefoot thought that if he told JUST Chomper, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing as long as he understood not to tell anyone else.

"Okay. The truth is, my grandpa told me a story about something that happened to him when he was young. It scared me down to my core. " he said. He told the whole story to Chomper, who, by the end, might as well have been mesmerized, "Now I understand why you didn't want to tell me, and why he would keep such a thing a secret for so long. I mean, even if he wanted to tell anyone at all…no one would believe him unless they see it for themselves." he said. Littlefoot nodded, "And the bad sleep-story I said I had? That was where it…it…was…following me, like it knew who I was." he began.

"Yes. If the word ever got out, some would call him crazy. Others may treat him like he actually is crazy. And I just don't want to think about putting my grandpa through something like that." Littlefoot said. Chomper couldn't picture Littlefoot's grandfather being treated like that, either, "I understand. I will not tell anyone else." he said, before standing up and leaving. Littlefoot saw that the Great Circle was leaving the sky, and he decided to head back. He walked—well, limped—to what he thought was home, but it turned out that he was in a part of the Valley he didn't know about, and therefore had never seen.

In other words, he was lost.

To make matters worse, darkness surrounded him, making finding his way back harder still, "Uh-oh. Where am I?" he asked himself. He kept going, hoping to find a way back.

He only ended up getting more and more lost with each step he took, "Hello? Is anyone out there?" he asked. He got nothing. Then, it started raining very heavily, and fog quickly appeared, "This isn't bad at all. Just a Water Cloud in the middle of heavy Skywater. What else could make this worse?" he said out loud. Then, there was a flash of SkyFire, followed by a boom, "Shouldn't have said anything. At least there's no…don't say anything else. You might just make your situation worse." he thought.

Then, he entered a forest, but it every tree and plant was burnt to a crisp, "The great fire was a long time ago. This seems like it happened very recently. What could've happened here?" he asked out loud. Then, he heard a faint footstep, "Huh?" he said, quickly turning around toward the sound. He knew something was close, because he heard footsteps again, only closer, "Too fast to be a four-footer. But, no two-footer, even something like a Fast Biter, can even move that quickly. At least I thought they couldn't." he said to himself.

He started moving a little quicker, and he ended up in a non-burnt forest that was extremely dense. He just powered through the rain and wind. Eventually, he found a cave, "This does look familiar. Maybe it connects to the Secret Caverns." he said, not giving up hope to get back. He went through. He was just barely small enough to fit through the passageways. After a while, he did find another opening, but it led to the polar opposite of where he wanted to go, "The Mysterious Beyond? No." he said, turning back.

Then, he heard a sound he was afraid to hear, "Roar. There's a Sharptooth nearby, most definitely not Chomper." he thought. He went to head back, but the cave collapsed and he was forced to get out, "Why does this have to happen?" he asked. Now he looked all around because he heard hissing, footsteps still, and claws scratching trees. He didn't know where to go, so he just walked around the outside wall of the Valley, hoping he would get to the Hidden Canyon before a Sharptooth got to him.

Up until this point, he did not realize that when Chomper bit him, he drew blood, and the scent of blood will really get a Sharptooth attracted to its prey. But he did realize eventually, "Oh, no. ( _Looks at leg_ ) This is not going to be an ordinary night at all. Since I told Chomper Grandpa's secret, it seems the world is against me. Nothing good has happened to me since then." he thought. Then, while he was looking left and right, he felt something on the top of his head, "Huh?" he said.

He started to look up, and something fell onto his nose, "What's that?" he thought. He then felt another thing fall onto his back. He turned his head around to look, and it was a drop of red, which he instantly knew what it was, "Blood. But where…?" he began to say as he continued to slowly look up. When he did, he saw blood on the branch directly above him, right as SkyFire light up the night and a rumble of thunder accompanied it, "Uh-oh. That's really not what I want to see right now. I'm scared enough." he said quietly.

Then, he heard rustling in the bushes, "Gotta be a Sharptooth. Maybe one of those tiny ankle-biters." he said to calm himself down slightly. Then he heard breathing coming from right behind him. He froze, and he heard a growl, but he didn't want to look behind him. But of course, he had to know. He slowly turned his head, and he saw two almost-glowing eyes, and sharp teeth looking back at him for a second, "Aaaaaaaah!" he yelled, rearing up and falling onto his back. Then he saw the same things again, only this time moving, "No, no, no, no, no!" he said, trying to scamper away.

The creature kept moving towards him until he backed into a tree, "No!" he yelled. Then the dinosaur became visible, and Littlefoot wasn't too worried, other than the fact that he was going to die, "Fast Biter. This isn't good at all. Well, no Sharptooth except Chomper is good." he thought. The Fast Biter was getting ready to pounce on him, but then there was some more rustling in the tree above, and the Fast Biter seemed to get scared off.

Littlefoot breathed a sigh of relief, but he immediately got worried, "Thank good…wait. What could be around here that scared a Fast Biter off?" he asked aloud. Then he heard something scratching a tree, almost like whatever was in it was slipping, then it was followed by a thud, "Something just fell out of a tree." he thought.

Then something ran past him, tripped over his tail, and then skidded on its face. Then his eyes nearly bugged out when he saw the black with orange stripe, "A…a…a…a…m…a Mys…tery…Myster…Mystery…T…Tooth?" he stuttered. The Mystery Tooth was slightly bigger than him, but it seemed quite timid when it saw him. Scared, even.

It seemed just about as scared of him as he was of it. Then Littlefoot noticed that its whole bottom leg was missing skin like it had been scraped off before. And, judging by how it tried not to stand on its other foot, that it had twisted its ankle. He had a feeling, "If what Grandpa said about Mystery Teeth is true…" he said, straying off. He slowly approached it, and it seemed to get more afraid the closer he got.

When he was right next to it, it was hyperventilating, and he looked at its leg, "What happened to you?" he said. Then, he touched its wound, and the Mystery Tooth winced before running. Well, its leg hurt so badly and it couldn't run very well, it more hopped away. And, for the first time, Littlefoot felt sympathy for a Sharptooth, "I don't know why, but I want to help that Mystery Tooth." he said to himself.

Then he realized what he just said, "Hold on. I…I just saw a Mystery Tooth. I'm kind of glad that I am one to be able to say that." he said. He knew that he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't see it, "I'm alive. That's good. What's not good is I still don't know how to get back into the Valley." he said. He was about to continue walking along the outskirts of the Valley, but he heard footsteps again.

He turned around, and the Mystery Tooth came back again. When it emerged from the fog, it looked at him and cocked its head. Littlefoot did the same, and they both mirrored each other for a while, but its leg gave out and it fell onto its side, revealing its wound again. It closed its eyes and was panting. Littlefoot had a feeling that now he had to do something, and he decided what, "I'm going to help you." he said. It could understand him and it looked at him with one eye. Littlefoot then reared up and grabbed some leaves from the branches above and he started tending to its wound, and he thought about Grandpa's story, " _What I did next, I was surprised at. And_ _ _I still am to this day._ I spoke to it._"

Littlefoot looked at it, and he gulped first, then he asked the same question, "What are you?" It looked at him again, before slowly digging into the word "female" into the ground. Littlefoot quietly gasped, "It can't be the same one. That was a long time ago, and this one is just too young. Maybe this is her child. Although there's no way for me to be sure." he thought. From the many times that he himself had scraped his leg, he knew what to do.

He wrapped her wound in leaves like a bandage. She looked at him, almost like she was in shock that he was willing to help her. Then he realized that he needed to get some sleep, but he didn't want to venture alone and risk encountering another Sharptooth. So, even though he didn't feel very safe around her, he slept with the Mystery Tooth, mainly hoping that hunger wouldn't come over her while he was asleep.

The Mystery Tooth was surprised that Littlefoot wanted to sleep anywhere near her. She just stayed up while he slept. In the morning, when Littlefoot woke up, she was gone, "Oh. Well, at least she didn't kill me. Now that the Bright Circle is up, I can try to get back home." he said. He began the journey, expecting to have the walk all around the Valley to get to the Hidden Canyon, but he only had to walk for a short time before he came across it, "It was right there? I was a lot closer than I thought. Oh, my grandparents are gonna be so worried. Better for them to find me alive than as a dead body." he told himself.

He walked back in, went through the cave, walked back home, and immediately was surrounded by the gang and his grandparents, "Littlefoot! Where did you get off to? We were so worried." Grandma said, nuzzling him. Then Grandpa wanted to talk with Littlefoot alone, "Dear, could you get some tree stars for him. He has to be starving." he said. She nodded, "Of course." She said before heading to the nearest tree.

Once she was gone, Grandpa lowered his head to Littlefoot, "What happened, Littlefoot? Where have you been all night?" he asked. Littlefoot doesn't know why, but he decided that he couldn't tell Grandpa what happened, so he lied, "I went off to a different part of the Valley. I was just curious, and I found a whole burnt forest. But it was getting dark, and I just decided to sleep there. I guess I should have told you first." he said. Grandpa nodded, "Yes, please do. But I could never be angry at you, Littlefoot. I'm just glad you're alright." he said.

The Grandma came back with a whole pile of tree stars, "Here you go." she said. Littlefoot was indeed starving, so while he munched down, they both went to the watering hole. The pile of leaves was larger than it looked. But Littlefoot just kept eating until he was full. But, as he started walking towards his friends, he started feeling light-headed, "Whoah. I…feel…dizzy." he said, stumbling.

Then, his vision started swimming with all the different colors, and he had to stop walking, "Wow. Everything…is soooo…colorful." he said. He looked back to the pile and saw a mushroom in there with a bite taken out of it, "Oh, I hhhhh…ate a…mushoom. I hought somehing asted iffert. Ohhhhhhhh…" he said before he fell unconscious. Somehow, none of the others saw him fall. He didn't wake up until it was nighttime again, "Oh…my head hurts." he said.

He got back up and saw the pile was still there, "I ate a mushroom? That completely explains what happened." he said. He then walked back to his grandparents so they wouldn't get worried when they woke up. But when they were in his sight, he heard the screech, "Mystery Tooth. ( _Looks back to the way he came, then back to his grandparents_ ) Should I go back and ignore the Mystery Tooth, or should I try to find her? Tough choice." he thought.

He ultimately decided to search for the Mystery Tooth, against his better judgment. He ran back out the way that he'd come in, but he stopped at a river, "I mean, may as well take some swimmers. Maybe I can befriend her by feeding her. Chances of this working like I hope? Probably very slim. But it's worth a try." he said to himself. He stayed at the river for a while, just keeping his head under the water, hoping to catch a fish. He saw one, and grabbed it with his mouth.

But when he lifted his head out of the water, the fish slipped out of his mouth and onto the ground, "Thank goodness it didn't land back in the water." he said. He tried to pick it up again, and he could barely hold it because it was so slippery, but he managed, "( _Muffled_ ) How does anything keep a grip on these?" he asked aloud. He waited until he heard her screech again, and he followed the sound.

He then heard her groan, and fall onto her side, presumably. When he found her, she was on her other side, panting again, but Littlefoot could tell that her skin had tightened up. This meant that she was starving, possibly to death, "It's a great thing I brought food. Although I imagine this isn't going to be enough." he thought. She didn't seem him yet, but he walked up to her, and she jumped in shock because she wasn't expecting to see him again, "Hello…again. I brought you something." he said.

She looked and when she saw the fish in his mouth, she gave a growl, but in happiness. Littlefoot was expecting her to try to snatch the fish because she was so hungry, but she just seemed to wait patiently, "She didn't want to try to snatch the swimmer." he thought. He set the fish down on the ground and moved it next to her mouth. She went to reach for it with her teeth, but then she started coughing up blood, "Oh, no. You poor thing." Littlefoot said. She was very, very sick, and Littlefoot could tell this, and he could tell that if he didn't help her, she'd die, "Grandpa was right. Mystery Teeth do not act anything like normal Sharpteeth. I've got to help her get better." he thought.

While she was still coughing, he saw a special leaf Grandma used with him years earlier when he got a bad cough, and he grabbed it. He brought it to her and told her to hold it her mouth and take a few deep breaths. She did just that, and she stopped coughing. Because of this, she started gaining a sense of trust with Littlefoot, as he was with her.

After Littlefoot had helped her stop coughing, she went to start eating the fish. But before she even could take a bite, Littlefoot noticed that her teeth were missing, "No teeth? Then how can you…?" he started to say before her teeth seemed to come out from her gums as she started consuming the fish, "…eat. Retractable teeth? Interesting trait about her that I've never seen on anything else." he thought. She ate the fish slowly so she did not vomit it back up because she was so hungry. And, again, very sick, "Hey, I should give you a name." he said.

She paused and eyed him, "How about Toothless? No, obviously not. She most definitely has teeth. Maybe something like…Mystery? No. Okay. What about…Scarlet? No. ( _Gasps as he gets an idea_ ) I know! I'll call you Chompless." he said. She looked at him, and didn't really mind being called that. By now, she was almost halfway done with the fish, and Littlefoot decided to get some more, "Chompless, you stay right here, okay?" he said.

She nodded slowly, "You won't go anywhere?" he asked again. She gestured to her leg, "Good. I'll be right back." he said. He went back to the river and caught more fish before bringing them back to Chompless, who was just about to finish the first one, "Are you still hungry?" he asked. She looked at him, and her eyes widened. She nodded, and he gave her the whole pile. Now, unlike the previous fish, she gobbled these ones down.

Littlefoot even jumped back he was so surprised, "My goodness. You were absolutely starving. I wish I could've done something like this with Chomper when he was young. ( _Laughs as he realizes the name similarities_ ) Heh. Chomper…Chompless. What a coincidence." he said aloud. Chompless was completely done with the whole fish pile in under a minute-and-a-half. Then, her pupils dilated and she started approaching Littlefoot, "No, no, no, no, no. Please don't eat me!" he said, worriedly.

Then, she started gagging almost, and she regurgitated a piece of fish. Littlefoot had the slightest feeling of what she wanted, but he couldn't do it. Not only because it came up from her stomach, but also because he was a Flattooth, "Oh, I'm sorry. I cannot eat this. It was for you, and I don't particularly like swimmers." he said. Chompless understood, and then she looked up. She saw a branch with plenty of leaves. She stood on her hind legs, reaching as far up as she could, and she broke the entire branch off, "Wow. When she stands like that, she seems giant compared to me." he thought. Chompless then dropped back onto all fours and placed the branch on the ground, "Oh, thank you. You don't have to gather anything for me, Chompless. I'm doing this out of the good in my heart." Littlefoot said.

She re-ate the fish piece, and Littlefoot started eating the leaves. Strangely, he felt that Chompless and him could get along if they saw each other often, "Uhmmm...Chompless? ( _She looks at him_ ) This is going to probably sound crazy to you, but…can we be friends?" Littlefoot asked. Chompless looked at him with a blank face for a few moments. Littlefoot patiently waited for a response. Chompless was thinking about his offer, and she made her choice. She looked back at him, "Yes? Or no? It's okay if you say no." Littlefoot asked.

After a little more thinking about this, she nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Secret Friendship**

Littlefoot was happy, and so was Chompless, mainly just by the fact that she now had a friend, "It's so nice to know that there are other friendly Sharpteeth out there. Come on. I want to meet my other friends." he said, beginning to walk back. Chompless took one step, and then she jumped back and shook her head, "Come on. They're gonna enjoy y…oh. You're an unknown Sharptooth to them, and they'll see you as a threat. I can see why that is a problem to you. If anyone in there so much as sees you, you'll probably get chased out, or maybe even die." he said.

Chompless nodded in agreement, "Then, what do we do? How will we see each other? You can't be in the Valley, and you can't just give a roar when you want to see me, or the adults may be alerted and keep an eye on us. How will I know when you want to be with me?" he said. She looked to the Night Circle and pointed. He looked at it in confusion, and it took a minute for him to get the idea, "You only come out at nighttime? You aren't awake when the Bright Circle is in the sky?" he asked.

She nodded, and she made her eyes glow for a second, "Oh, I get it. You're a nighttime Sharptooth. You have that special…nighttime sight. ( _Night vision_ ) That makes perfect sense now." he said. She nodded, "Every night we can get together. Not for the whole night, though because I do need some sleep at some point. How about we meet here just before the Bright Circle leaves the sky?" he said. She nodded as she agreed with that, "Great. ( _Turns to walk back, before remembering something_ ) I promise you that I will tell absolutely no one about you. We'll just keep this friendship a secret. Okay?" he asked.

She nodded again and waved goodbye. Littlefoot got back in and went to rest next to his grandparents. He had only slept for about an hour before the Bright Circle started rising, and Cera quietly walked over to him, "Littlefoot? ( _Littlefoot doesn't move_ ) Littlefoot, wake up!" she whispered. Littlefoot moaned because he didn't want to get up yet. Then Cera started nudging him, "Wake up! There's been an attack!" she said.

Then Littlefoot's head flew up, "What?" he said. She turned around to run, and he was instantly up and followed her. They ran and ran until they saw a circle of adults including Mr. Threehorn, Tria, Mr. Thicknose, and a few others staring at something, "Who could it have been?" Tria said. As they got closer, they saw the rest of the gang there, too, "Guys, what's going on?" Littlefoot asked. Ruby filled him in, "Earlier this morning, Mr. Threehorn found this patch of blood stained on a tree, and another grownup found some on a rock near the watering hole. Chomper's on his way here to tell us who it belongs to." she said.

"Blood on a tree, and on a rock near the watering hole?" he thought. He wasn't expecting a lot, but when he tried to walk past the adults to get a closer look, Mr. Thicknose stopped him, "Um…Littlefoot, what do you think you're doing?" he questioned. "I just wanted to see what happened." he answered. Mr. Thicknose shook his head, "No, Littlefoot. I strongly advise against that. It may not sound too bad, but trust me, this is something you don't want to see." he said, moving him back with the others.

Then, Chomper got there with Grandma and Grandpa, "Oh dear. What happened?" Grandma asked. Topps filled him in, "Chomper, can you tell us whose blood that is?" he said. Chomper nodded and went right over. The first thing he saw was a little Compy lying dead in a pool of blood. He began smelling the area to get as much information as he could. Now, since it had been 2 years since they rescued Bron from the Fire Mountain, Chomper was growing up, and the scent of blood hypnotized him, mainly because he hadn't smelled any for a long time. After a minute of smelling, he turned back to them, "It's one of those little ankle-biters…" he said.

Then Topps assumed nothing was to be worried about, "Oh. The little thing must've gotten stepped on. Nothing to worry about." he said, starting to turn back. But Chomper wasn't done, "I don't think that it was stepped on. It's not flattened. It has cuts all over it, and it looks like it was hit on the head multiple times. But, it wasn't with a rock or a stick, or anything around this place. It seems like this was attacked somewhere else and then it was brought here." he said. Topps quickly turned around, "What? Beaten? What could've done such a thing?" he queried.

Chomper didn't know, "I can't say for sure, but maybe that other blood will give me some answers." he said. Everyone agreed and lead Chomper to the other blood. Littlefoot was going with them, but then he got a thought, "With no adults around, I can look at what they saw." he thought. He turned back and went to take a look. He immediately regretted his decision. First off, the smell was so bad that he had to stop. He soon ignored the smell and got closer.

What he saw shocked him, because Chomper left out a lot of details. One of which was saying that the Compy's head was twisted 180° backward, and its stomach was no longer an internal organ. It was now an external organ, which grossed Littlefoot out enough to stop looking, "Eugh! That was disgusting. What could've done that?" he said to himself. He didn't want to stay around there any longer and went back to the others.

At the other area, there were a few Longnecks gathered around it, "Let's hope this one provides more answers." Topps said. Chomper hoped so, too, "Yeah. We need to know what did this." he said. The Longnecks around the area moved aside and Chomper started sniffing right away. As soon as he got the scent, something was wrong with it, "What creature does this blood belong to, Chomper?" Topps asked him.

Chomper looked back at him nervously, "I don't know." was all he said. Topps cocked his head, "What do you mean?" he queried. "I don't recognize the scent of this blood. I don't know what it belongs to. Something was here, probably was hurt, but I don't even know if it belongs to a Flattooth or Sharptooth." he explained. Everyone who heard him got concerned, "An unknown creature was here? That doesn't make me feel safe." one Longneck said.

Topps scoffed, "An unknown creature doesn't make you feel safe? You're a fully-grown Longneck. You can defend yourself just fine against a Sharptooth. Whatever was here, I'm sure there's nothing you should be worried about." he said. The Longneck looked down to him, "Hey, tough guy, I'm not an arrogant Threehorn who thinks he can defeat anything. I feel I can defend myself against a threat I know. Whatever this blood belongs to, I don't know, so I don't know if I defeat this thing if it ever shows itself. And, I don't know whether this thing is a Sharptooth or Flattooth." he said.

Then Topps turned to face him, "If you can defeat it? You're not the only one here, genius. What makes you think that you alone can defeat whatever this thing is?" he retorted. Now things were starting to head up, and the gang slowly started backing away, except Cera, "Uh, Cera, you might want to get a little distance from this. Things are starting to aggressive, and I think it might get a little messy." Chomper said.

As much as Cera wanted to defend her father's point, she knew Chomper was right and she backed away also. The two argued back and forth, slowly getting more angry toward the other, and Topps started getting ready to charge, "You think you're that tough? Show me what you got!" Topps said. Now, the Longneck was angry, "There's about to more blood here, and it's going to be yours!" he yelled, getting ready to swing his tail at him. As Topps started charging, Tria stopped him, "Topsy, stop that this instant!" she said firmly.

He skidded to a stop, "Topps, I've told you about this before. You're always the agitator in any argument. It is things like that, telling someone what YOU think they can and cannot defend themselves against, that anger others. It's things like that that almost always escalates to a fight. You have no idea what he can defend himself against, so you can't say what he cannot defend himself against. Now, apologize." she said. He knew she was right, and that it was he who started it, so he apologized, "I'm sorry, Longneck. It was wrong for me to assume your defensive capabilities. Please forgive me." he said.

The Longneck stood down, "Accepted." was all he said before walking away. Petrie leaned over and whispered to Cera, "If you kept acting like that, Cera, that be you one day." he said. She knew he was right and was glad that she'd learned to not be as bossy as she once was, or brag as much as she did before, "So, Chomper. Are you positive you can't identify anything about the creature that blood came from?" Grandpa asked. Chomper nodded, "I really wish I could tell you what it was, but I just can't I've never smelled this scent before." he said.

Grandpa sighed, "All right, then. Tria, would you be a dear and get some wet leaves? We must get rid of this blood so no Far Walkers see it." he asked. She nodded, "Of course. We wouldn't want them to get scared." she said. Grandpa nodded, and then looked to the kids, "Eh…children? How about you go and play some games elsewhere? You shouldn't worry about things like this. Between all us adults, you have nothing you need to worry about here." he said.

They all nodded and went towards the Secret Caverns and enjoyed their usual games there. The hours passed quickly, and when Littlefoot saw the Bright Circle beginning to touch the horizon, he left, "Hey, Littlefoot, where are you going?" Cera asked. "To get a bite to eat. These games make me hungry." he lied. Cera said goodbye, and Littlefoot went out to find Chompless, but of course, not before getting some fish for her.

But, as he was leaving, he saw the Compy's body still sitting there for some reason, and he pondered, "For one thing, I can't believe that is still here. But, I can imagine Chompless like that over just swimmers, but…should I bring it? If I'm seen with it, I'm sure suspicions will arise. But…oh…well…those are the risks you take for a friend." he told himself. Along with the fish, he slid the ankle-biter into the pile with his tail, "So disgusting." he thought.

Once that was taken care of, he went to find her. She was exactly where he expected her to be, "Hello, Chompless. I brought you an extra special meal tonight." he said. She tried to sniff the pile of fish, but her sickness made her sense of smell completely wack, so she just looked through until she saw the Compy's body. She was glad. Other than her usual meal, Littlefoot cared for her again, and each and every afternoon he met up with her, continuing to feed her and nurture her. Chompless' injuries were healing, her sickness was lessening each day, and their friendship grew stronger and stronger. And, as a bonus, Littlefoot found a way to give Chompless some exercise, which would help her get back to running.

It was quite simple, really. He just hit a fish with his tail, sending it flying through the air, and she fetched it. She absolutely loved it.

A whole 2 weeks of this passed before Chomper saw Littlefoot near where he usually left one day, and he called to him, "Hi, Littlefoot!" Littlefoot gasped and froze when he heard Chomper's voice, "Hi." he said nervously. Chomper walked over to him, "Whatcha doing here?" he asked. Littlefoot hadn't prepared for the event when one of his friends caught him in the process of meeting with Chompless. And the fact that it was Chomper, made it worse, "Uh…exploring. I saw a bush with some tasty-looking tree stars." he said, not looking at Chomper.

Chomper knew something was up because of how Littlefoot wouldn't look at him, "Really? Do you mind if I tag along with you?" he asked. Now Littlefoot looked at him, "Why? You don't even like greenfood." he said. Chomper had to think, "Of course, I know that. But I just wanted to come with you today. I've noticed that you've left every day right as the Bright Circle is beginning to set. I just want to come with you." he said.

Littlefoot knew he was onto him, and he did something he wished he hadn't. He suddenly donkey-kicked Chomper in the face and bolted, "Ow. ( _Looks and sees Littlefoot running_ ) You just had to get even for me biting you, didn't ya? Well, obviously he's hiding something again, and I feel I need to hurt him again." he thought, springing to his feet and giving chase.

Littlefoot knew Chomper would chase him, not only by the obvious sound of his footsteps but also because he could hear him panting, "He's going to be relentless. With that sniffer of his, it would be hard to lose him…but luckily I know how to fool a Sharptooth." he thought. In order to lose Chomper all he had to do was get out of his eyesight, which was plain and simple. But, to fool his nose, that was a little trickier. He had to run around trees several times, backtrack a little bit. And, if Chomper tried to follow his footprints, he made sure that he doubled back a couple times so it'd should've been impossible for him to figure out where his tracks led after that. And, of course, he did not lead Chomper even remotely in the direction of Chompless.

But, he did all those things and Chomper was completely clueless as to his current whereabouts, "Where did he go?" Chomper asked himself, attempting to follow Littlefoot's scent. Once Littlefoot knew he was in the clear, he headed toward the river to catch some fish. As usual, he brought it to Chompless, who was starving, also as usual, and since her own sense of smell was getting better each day, she knew something was bothering Littlefoot. She wanted to ask, but she knew he couldn't understand her language, so she had to think of another way to ask.

She dug the word "okay?" in the dirt. Littlefoot read it and told her, "One of my friends tried to follow me today. I kicked him in the face, and then I got him lost while he was trying to find me. I'm sure he'll be fine. He knows how to fight against Sharpteeth, and find his way back into the Valley." he answered. Chompless was about to ask him why, but she figured that Littlefoot didn't want to lead him to her.

Unfortunately, Chomper had managed to follow Littlefoot's back-tracking, circling scent, and was now heading straight towards them. Chompless felt that all this time Littlefoot was helping her, and she had to show her appreciation.

She gestured to a tree with no leaves on it, and Littlefoot looked underneath it and saw a pile of the greenest leaves he'd ever seen, "Oh, Chompless. Did you get all that for me? ( _Chompless nods_ ) Oh, thank you. But you really don't have to do anything for me." he said. She insisted, and gestured for him to eat them, "Well, if you insist." he said. He walked over to them, but Chomper spotted him, and crouched in some bushes, "There you are, you sneaky Longneck. I'm bringing you back in the Valley one way or another, and you will tell me what's going on." he thought.

As Littlefoot casually ate the leaves, Chomper snuck up right behind him, "Predator mode, go." he thought. He launched out of the bushes and tackled Littlefoot, immediately covering his mouth and forcing him into the same bush, "I cannot believe that you did that. I thought we trusted each other, Littlefoot. I thought we had an unshakable bond, and you just did that. What are you hiding from me, and why?" he snarled. Chompless was eating when Chomper tackled Littlefoot, so she didn't notice anything.

That is until she looked at the pile of leaves and saw Littlefoot wasn't there. She got up and started looking around the area, "You know, you're lucky that I found you first. No. On second thought, you should be happy I'M the one that found you. You can't just walk into the Mysterious Beyond like this, or kick me like that. We're going back inside, and you're going to tell me what you're hiding, or so help me I will throw you back out here and leave you for dead!" he growled. Littlefoot was now unsure if Chomper was serious about that last sentence, but he didn't want to find out.

Before Chomper said this, Chompless had noticed his tail just slightly poking out from the bush, but she couldn't see any sign of Littlefoot, so she had no reason to think twice about him. But when Chomper spoke, Chompless saw Littlefoot and went into her predator mode. She grabbed—or more precisely, she bit—Chomper's tail, forcing him to let go, and then she dragged him out from the bush and threw him into a tree, "Oof!" he said. He looked up and saw her, " **I don't know what you are, but you're not going to do anything to him.** " he growled. He was challenging her, even though she was decently bigger than him. Then he charged and roared at her.

Chompless was incredible at combat. Every time Chomper tried to bite or swipe at her, she dodged it like nothing. Then, she attacked. She jumped on him and pinned him to the ground. Littlefoot saw this through the bush and he gasped. He sprang to his feet and pushed Chompless off Chomper right as he was swiping his claw at her. Littlefoot's ill-timed moved resulted in him getting a gash across the face.

Chompless was back up in seconds, and she was standing on her hind legs, getting ready to pounce on him again. Littlefoot, though in pain, stood between them, "No, stop! ( _Chompless snarls_ ) He's a friend." he said. Chompless stood down and Littlefoot turned to Chomper, who was just now getting up, "You scared her." Littlefoot said. Chomper looked at him, wide-eyed, " _I_ scared her?" he said before Chompless snarled at him.

"Who is her?" he said. Littlefoot introduced the two to each other, "Chomper, Chompless. Chompless, Chomper." he said. Chompless growled at him again, "This is what you've been hiding? Another Sharptooth?" he said. Littlefoot was nervous to tell him her specific kind, but he did anyway, "This isn't just any Sharptooth. Chompless is a Mystery Tooth. But when I first saw her, she was very sick and hurt. She didn't attack me because she was scared of me. But for the past 2 weeks, I've been meeting her here, caring for her by bringing her swimmers from the Moving Water. She's been getting better each day, and she and I have formed a strong friendship." he explained.

Littlefoot was expecting Chomper to be, at the bare minimum, either a little angry or a little jealous, but he wasn't either of those, "You're…caring for her? Like you did with me?" he said. It wasn't exactly like that, "Well, you know we never were able to bring you food, and you weren't hurt, so, it's a little different. But, that's not the point. The point is, I've been with her every night. But, you can't tell anybody. At ALL. Because word will spread to my grandparents, and they'll keep a closer eye on me, and I won't be able to help her. I don't want to take the chance of her starving or getting sick again if I can't bring her food, and care for her." he said.

While Chomper didn't trust Chompless very much—mainly because he just met her—he understood why Littlefoot would do such a thing, "I won't tell anyone. I understand that you felt sympathy for her. I would want to do the same. I guess your grandpa was right. ( _Littlefoot cocks his head_ ) About Mystery Teeth. Do you think this could be the same one he saw?" he asked. Littlefoot shook his head, "I pretty sure it's not. That was a long time ago, and Chompless is just too young. So I'd imagine it's her child, or maybe just a completely different one. The chances of it being the same one Grandpa saw are way too slim." he said.

That made sense to Chomper, "Yeah, you're right. Well, since I'm here, Chompless, do you mind if I join you and Littlefoot?" he said. Even though she had her suspicions when she first saw him, she pushed these aside once she knew he wasn't a real threat to Littlefoot. But there was something about Chomper that aroused her, possibly the fact that he was also a Sharptooth, but at that moment, her reason for liking him was unknown. She slowly walked around him while sniffing him, even though her sense of smell was still off. She just wanted to get a brief idea about his personality. She liked him, quite a lot more than Littlefoot was expecting, especially after what just happened. She nodded at him, but Littlefoot saw a glint in her eyes when she looked at Chomper, but he just kept silent.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Teach You A Thing or Two  
**

Now with three of them, and Chompless in good health, they started playing some of the normal games that they played at home. Of course, they had to teach Chompless how each game was played, but once she understood everything, they started having a colossal amount of fun with her. Unfortunately, they stayed way longer than they should have, and Littlefoot realized this, "( _Gasps_ ) Chomper! We need to get home and get some sleep! So, so sorry to kill the fun, Chompless, but we need to get some sleep so we won't be tired tomorrow." he said, turning back to home.

Chompless understood completely, and waved goodbye to both of them, "Wow! She's a lot nicer and way more fun than I was expecting." Chomper said. Littlefoot looked back, "I know, right? I'm actually surprised that she liked you after you tried to attack her. But maybe there's something about you that she likes." he said. Chomper wanted to agree, but he didn't know Chompless enough to say that, so he didn't say anything. Luckily, they both got enough sleep to get through the next day.

After this, the three of them all met up and started actually doing some more friend activities. Some nights they played even more games. While others they just laid down and looked at the stars. And still, other days they explored a little further into the Mysterious Beyond. They were overly careful not to get seen by anything, and they more or less just observed Sharpteeth behaving how they naturally did. Well, Chomper and Chompless did.

During these times that Chompless and Chomper were alone, Chomper wanted to get to know her better, "So…Chompless? ( _She looks at him_ ) Where did you come from?" he asked. She thought and thought, but she couldn't remember, so she shrugged. Chomper was a little surprised at this, and he tried something else, "What was life with your family like?" he asked. She thought, and she only remembered her mother. She just dug "mom" into the ground, "You remember your mother? What was she like?" he asked.

She didn't know how to explain this to Chomper, because she didn't speak his language, nor did she feel comfortable telling him such details at that moment anyway, so she didn't. Chomper then quickly realized that he didn't know her well enough to ask her such personal questions, so he stopped, "Please forgive me if I have upset you in any way. I just wanted to get to know you." he said.

She looked at him and smiled slightly. Then, he realized that it'd be a lot easier for Chompless to communicate if she could speak their language, or at least his, "You know, Chompless, I can teach you how to speak our language if you'd like." he said. She looked at him again and nodded, "Okay. Littlefoot! ( _Littlefoot comes over_ ) Chompless would like to learn how to speak our language." he said. Littlefoot was glad, "Really? Oh, that's great! Between us, I feel that there's a lot of things she would like to say, but she can't because of this language barrier." he said.

More time passed. While Littlefoot kept bringing her fish, Chomper was teaching her Sharptooth to at least let her get the hang of it. Then he would begin teaching her the Flattooth language, "This is the Sharptooth language, which is my native one." he said. She was perfectly fine as long as she could speak with them.

Much to Chomper's surprise, Chompless was a quick study when it came to learning Sharptooth. After just over a week, she was speaking basic sentences. Keyword, basic. They were very garbled and short, a lot of words were missing, and she sounded completely inarticulate to anybody else that might've heard her, but it was at least a start.

Over the course of another week, her sentences started getting slightly better. But she was still struggling with some aspects of the Sharptooth language. Most days, he gave her a little advice, too, "If you want to sound intimidating, just add a guttural growl to the end of every word. Or snarl at the end of a sentence. It'll scare anybody." he said before demonstrating. She tried to do the same, but she hurt her throat. Chomper had experienced this before, " **I know that your throat hurt while trying to do that. The same thing happened to me when I tried. With more practice, that won't happen anymore.** " he said.

3 days later, Littlefoot decided that he should take a break from visiting Chompless. He still told Chomper to tell her. He also told him to say that it'd just be for that one night. Neither she nor Chomper minded Littlefoot's decision. When they were alone, Chomper tried to ask her about her life again. He tried this because he & her were forming a bond. And she was getting better at speaking, "Chompless, do you mind if I ask you some questions about your life, again? If you don't feel comfortable, I will respect that." he said.

She looked at him and nodded. Although, she was wondering why he'd want to know, " **Why…you…need…know?** " she said. Chomper was just curious as to her background, "No real reason. I'm just curious." he said. She decided to tell him just a little, " **Mother…aggressive…to…all. To…me…caring. She…old…last. But…after…dead. I…alone…since.** " she said. Chomper was able to decipher what she was trying to say, and felt bad for her, "Was she all you had at the time?" he asked.

She nodded, "I understand your pain. I was forced to leave my home and my parents. Whenever I think about them, they may as well be dead. Even if I wanted to see them, I can't go because it's too dangerous out there for me. They made Ruby promise to keep me safe." he said. Chompless looked at him, " **What...make…you…leave?** " she said.

"Redclaw and his Fast Biters, Screech & Thud. Me and my parents lived on an island before, but Redclaw came and started becoming a larger threat to us than an inconsistent supply of food. They were worried that they wouldn't be able to protect me from him. They were worried that I'd get picked off by one of them. My parents knew Littlefoot, so they thought I'd be safer here. That, and they wanted me to see how different dinosaurs can get along." he briefly explained.

She understood, but they were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. They both were now on guard, "Someone's here. It can't be Littlefoot because he'd let us know, plus he stayed back tonight. And, considering how quiet it sounds like this creature is trying to be, it is probably something that might be trying to watch us, or hunt us." he said. Chompless and him started searching around the area immediately, but neither of them found anything.

Then, they heard someone talking, "Chomper? Are you out there?" they said. Chomper recognized it as Cera's voice, "Uh-oh. Not Cera. If she finds out about you, Chompless, she will tell everyone, and we'll probably never be able to see you again. Under no circumstances can you follow me, or make any sounds right now. I need to coax her back into the valley. Got it?" he said.

She nodded, "Good. ( _Walks away and calls to Cera_ ) Cera? Where are you?" he said. She called back, "Over here!" Chomper walked over to her, "Hi." he said. She greeted him before asking a question, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are you doing out here?" she said. Chomper had to think of an excuse, "I…had…an urge for meat. Yeah, and I didn't want to unintentionally hurt anybody, so I've been looking for something to eat out here. I still haven't found anything, but I'm not going back until my hunger is satisfied. Just to be safe. Also, why are you out here? This place is too dangerous for someone like you." he said.

"Oh. I was just wondering where you went. I just had a feeling I'd find you out here, and I was right. I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll leave and let you find something to eat. Just, please don't try to bring it back." she said. Chomper laughed a little, and she left. Once she was out of sight, Chomper breathed a sigh of relief, "Phew! That was a close one." he said. He went back to Chompless was, but she had hidden in a bush, just in the event that Cera or anyone else came back. "Chompless? Where'd you go?" he said. Somehow, Cera heard him, "Chompless? What's a Chompless?" she said.

Then, her curiosity got the best of her and she went back. She peeked back outside to look for him and any other Sharpteeth that might've surprised her. She was about to call to him, but then Chompless jumped out from the bush and pinned him to the ground, playfully, of course. He pretended like he was fighting her, rolling around on the ground. Unfortunately, Cera thought it was real and gasped.

They both heard this, stopped, and looked at her, "Oh...no." Chomper said. Cera slowly stepped back, before she turned and ran, "And we're dead." he said. Chompless turned the opposite way and started leaving, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going? We need to stop her." he said.

She looked back at him. He wouldn't let the friendship be ruined by this. So Chomper had her go after Cera. She did and grabbed her tail, "Yowch!" she said. Chompless threw her to the ground and was about to maul her, but Chomper stopped her just before that happened. "No, Chompless, stop! Don't hurt her!" he said.

Chompless stopped and looked at him, "She's a friend." he said. Chompless kept Cera pinned. But then grabbed her by the neck, ran back out, and started climbing up a tree. Once she was at some of the tip-top branches, she dropped Cera onto one, went back down and placed Chomper on her back, and then climbed back to the top and grabbed Cera by the neck again.

Cera looked at Chomper, "Chomper get…off that…thing! It's going to…kill us both!" she said as she was choking. Chomper shook his head, "No, she won't. Let me explain. Chompless, stop choking her!" he said. Chompless realized he didn't want her to hurt Cera in any way, shape, or form. So she loosened her grip but didn't let go. Cera looked down to see if it was even remotely possible for her to drop down from one branch to the next in the event Chompless let her go, but she couldn't, "I'm more focused on- she? SHE? How do y…what, do you KNOW this thing?" she said in shock. Chomper nodded, "Yes. If you just listen, I will explain everything." he said. Even though she was terrified of Chompless, she nodded.

Chomper then had Chompless put her on her back also, "Now, get me down." she said. Chomper turned back to Chompless, who, throughout this whole time had her teeth bared at Cera because she truly did not like her, "Chompless, take us down…gently." he said. She began slowly climbing down, "See? Nothing to worry about." he said.

Unknowingly to him, Chompless wasn't going to go down just yet. She looked to the closest tree and leaped to it, "Whoaaa!" Chomper yelled in surprise. Chompless was barely able to hang onto the thin branches, but she managed. Because of the fact that she was hanging nearly vertical, Chomper had no choice but to cling to her neck. Cera had to grab ahold of him, too.

She kept doing this, before she paused when their wasn't a tree within easy jumping distance, "Chompless! What is wrong with you?! Uh...she's...she's not usually like this." Chomper said in an attempt to keep Cera from screaming her head off. As soon as he said that, Chompless decided to jump to the nearest tree, but it was, in truth, quite far, "Oh, no." Chomper said as she jumped.

She more or less body-slammed into the tree before climbing back up. Both Cera and Chomper's faces hit Chompless' back as a result of her jump, "Ow! Chompless what are you doing? We need her to like you!" he said. Chompless didn't listen, and she kept jumping from tree to tree.

Then, on one tree, Chompless clung to it with one hand and started spinning around it, "And now, she's spinning." he said. When she swung to another tree, "Thank you for nothing, you useless creature." he said. She didn't care about what he said. Cera was so terrified of Chompless more than falling off that she, for some reason, apologized, "I'm sorry! Just get me off of this thing." she said. Chompless looked back at her while she was spinning and she jammed her other claw into it, stopping, and then starting to climb down.

Once on the ground, they both got off, "Now, Cera. This is Chompless. For the past couple of months, me and Littlefoot have left every afternoon and stayed with her for a while. Littlefoot first found her when she was badly hurt and very sick. Since then, he's brought her food and kept her company, and she's been in good health for a while now. Then one day I followed him out. I found him and was going to take him back home, but she got the jump on me and got me away from him. But, he managed to end the confliction between us before it got bloody. Now the three of us are best friends. I could tell Chompless did not like you to begin with, but it seems that she just wanted to hear you say sorry. Although I am unsure as to what you were sorry for. ( _Cera opens mouth to answer_ ) Ah, ah. Don't say anything. The point is, you seem to be on Chompless' good side right now. Cera, you can either be friends with Chompless. Or not. If you chose to be friends, you cannot tell anyone anything about her. This is something absolutely nobody else can know about, or it'll be the last time we ever get to meet. Now, if you don't want to be friends, that's perfectly fine. Although she might think otherwise. Still, you cannot tell anybody no matter what you decide. Am I making this clear to you?" he said.

She understood everything, "Crystal. It's like when Littlefoot wanted to care for you. We knew about you, but no one else did." she said. "Yes, and like when you came to our island. I knew about you, but my parents didn't...for a while." Chomper said. Cera nodded, "Yes. I would like to be friends with her, even though I feel like she was trying to kill me. And I will definitely keep this a secret." she said. Chomper was glad, "Good." he said.

And then there were four.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Lost & Found  
**

The very next afternoon, the three of them went out to meet Chompless, but when they got their usual spot, she wasn't there, "Chompless! ( _Gets no reply_ ) Chompless? Where are you?" Littlefoot yelled. " **Chompless! It's us!** " Chomper said. They still got no reply. "Chompless! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Cera said. They heard nothing, at all. The roars and grunts of distant Sharpteeth could be heard every single night, but tonight, there was absolutely no sound at all, "Where is she?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper noticed the abnormal silence, "Um…the real question is what is happening out there? It's completely silent tonight, which has never happened." Chomper said.

They both got quiet and listened, "You're right. There's usually the sound of Sharpteeth roaring, but not now. It's almost like they all vanished. ( _Chomper looks at him_ ) Except you. But, where could Chompless be? She's always here, so what could've happened that made her not be here?" Littlefoot said. "Maybe she was hungry and is hunting." Cera suggested. Chomper shook his head, "No, that's very unlikely. While she has a very aggressive personality, she's barely older than Littlefoot. I can't imagine her being the best at hunting unless her mother taught her at an early age. But, point is, she always eats the swimmers that Littlefoot brings. She doesn't get her own food." he said.

Then they heard a roar that sounded very gurgled, "Well, there's a roar. But what in the world made that one? Whatever it is sounds disgusting." Cera said. Then she looked down and saw some blood splotches, and giant footprints, one of which she was standing in, "Look." she said. They both looked down, "Big footprints and blood. Something big came through here. ( _Thinks of a possible event that could've happened_ ) Oh no. Do you think a big Sharptooth ate Chompless?" she said. As plausible as that sounded, neither Littlefoot nor Chomper wanted to jump to any conclusions before getting more clues, "That could be possible, but let's gather the info we can. Chomper?" Littlefoot said.

"Already on it." he said. He sniffed the footprints first. Something about them made his eyes burn, "Ow. ( _Wipes eyes_ ) Whatever these footmarks belong to really smells bad. My eyes are burning." he said. He couldn't identify the exact Sharptooth from its scent, but he now focused on the blood. After a thorough examination, he discovered something worrying, "Guys. This is…this is Chompless' blood." he said. Littlefoot's heart started racing, "What do you think happened here?" he asked. Chomper couldn't guess, nor did he want to, "I don't know, but either something killed Chompless…or she just got hurt. Hopefully, the former didn't happen. Should we follow her blood? If she's alive, we can find her." he said.

As much as Littlefoot was worried about what they'd come across, he felt that they needed to know what happened and Chompless' current condition, "Against my better judgment, I'd say we should. At least we'll know what happened and it won't bother us later. Unless she's dead." he said. "And if she is dead?" Cera asked. Both of them looked at her, "How about we don't think about the worst outcome, okay?" Littlefoot said. Cera nodded, "Chomper, lead the way." she said. Chomper sniffed the blood again, picked up a trail, and followed it.

It was way past when they usually headed home, but it was too late to turn back at that point. Now, a dense fog started descending upon the land, reducing visibility greatly. They heard the same gurgled roar again, "I hope that these footprints don't belong to…whatever is making that noise." Cera said. Then Chomper smelled something and broke into a run, "I think he's got something." Littlefoot said, keeping up the pace. Cera did, too, "Or he's running away from something else." she said. Littlefoot quickly looked around, "I really hope that's not the case." he said.

Chomper only ran for a short while before skidding to a stop. Littlefoot ran into him by mistake, "Whhhoooooaaaa! Oof! Sorry about that." he said. As he and Chomper were getting up, they heard a growl, but it was gurgled, too, "Uh-oh. I hope whatever that is isn't close by. Wait, where's Cera?" Littlefoot asked, his back directly against Chomper's. "I don't know. Wasn't she behind you?" he asked. Littlefoot nodded, "She was directly behind me." he answered.

Then they saw her run up, "Guys! Did you find anything?" she asked. Before either could answer her, she was pulled to the right, into the fog, "Whoa! Wha!" she yelled. Littlefoot & Chomper's eyes opened wide, "That's not reassuring." Littlefoot said. "Just being out this far from the Valley isn't reassuring." Chomper said. Then they heard a screech they did know, "Chompless!" they said in unison. Then, Cera screamed, "Great. If that other creature was close, it probably knows we're here, now. I really hope that that wasn't Cera's last scream. Should we run?" Chomper said.

Littlefoot shook his head, "No. If Chompless is here, we need to get her out of here, at least. We can't just leave her." he said. Chomper looked back to him, "What about Cera?" he said. As he said that, she came running, ran right past them, and went straight back the way they'd come from, "I'd say she's fine. Can you pick up Chompless' scent?" Littlefoot said.

Chomper nodded and started sniffing. It didn't take long for him to find a fresh patch of blood, "Over there!" he said. They ran into the fog and found Chompless tied to the ground with her left leg broken and bleeding, and two objects were lodged in her. One was lodged in her right arm, the other in the right side of her torso. All in all, she had seen better days.

She looked at them, relieved at first, but then worried, "Let's get you out of here." Littlefoot said. Chomper bit the vines holding her down while Littlefoot removed the pieces. Soon, Chompless was free, but something else was close, "Oh, no. There's that growl again." Chomper said. Then, through the fog, they all saw red eyes and monstrous jagged teeth, "Run!" Chomper said, bolting back. Littlefoot had to assist Chompless in walking. But they didn't get very far.

A roar, directed at them, scared Littlefoot, which caused him to move out from under Chompless, which then made her fall. Chomper heard her fall and came back. Littlefoot and him were trying to get Chompless back onto her feet so they could continue carrying her, but a familiar face appeared through the fog, " **Mom?** " Chomper said. The Sharptooth looked at him, " **Chomper.** " it said.

Chomper was shocked to see his mother after all this time. She saw Chompless next to Littlefoot, and she snarled, " **No! No! That Sharptooth is a friend!** " Chomper said. His mother didn't believe him, so she didn't lower her guard, " **You managed to find the Mystery Tooth? Do you even have the faintest comprehension of how dangerous they are?** " she said.

Chomper shook his head, " **No. Believe me, she is not dangerous. Me, her, Littlefoot, and Cera have been friends for months, now.** " he said. She raised both brows, " **You're friends** **with a Mystery Tooth? Like I'll believe that.** " she said. Chomper shook his head, " **Really, we are friends. The Longneck that saved me, and the Threehorn with him are also friends with her.** " he said. She cocked her head, remembered Littlefoot & Cera, and how she spared their lives, " **That Longneck and Threehorn, too? No. Mystery Teeth have never been friendly to any creature. They've killed hundreds of us. Get out of my way so I can get rid of it before it kills** **you.** " she said.

Chomper refused to move, " **No, leave her alone! She will only hurt you if you deem yourself a threat to her or any of us! At least give me a chance to show you that she's not hostile. Please.** " he said. His mother cocked her head, " **If you insist. If that thing makes any moves I don't like, it dies.** " she said.

Chomper laughed to himself, "Aren't you about to get a shock." he thought. He held his hand in front of Chompless' face, and she eyed him, "Play along." he whispered. She lightly nodded. He moved his hand closer to her, and she moved her face into it. His mother was indeed shocked, " **Its...not...attacking...you.** " she said slowly.

Chomper smiled, " **Now do you believe me?** " he said. She nodded and stood down, " **I apologize, Chomper. I didn't believe that any Mystery Tooth could ever be friendly.** ( _All hear gurgled growl again_ ) **Okay. We can catch up later. Right now let's get you all out of here. Come on!** " she said. Then Cera was thrown back to them, "Cera!" Littlefoot said. Chomper looked at his mother, " **We thought she was someone else.** " she said.

Cera ran away. But Littlefoot & Chomper were more worried about Chompless, " **But…she's got a broken leg. She can't even walk.** " Chomper said. His mother nudged him and Littlefoot forward, " **I'll get her.** " she said. Chomper and Littlefoot just ran as his mother lifted Chompless onto her back, " **Where's Dad?** " he asked. His father's tail then poked out from the fog and he snarled at something, " **He's ensuring that we can all get out of here alive.** " she said. After she'd picked up Chompless, the red eyes and jagged teeth appeared again as they were beginning to run.

The dinosaur that was looking at them couldn't keep up. Although to be fair, it didn't even seem to give chase. Though they didn't even get a glimpse of what it actually looked like, they just ran. Eventually, they were in the clear. Still, Chomper's parents weren't going to take any chances, so they kept going. Only when they saw the walls of the Valley did they stop. Chomper, Cera, and Littlefoot were all catching their breath as Chomper's mother set Chompless down next to the pile of fish, which was starting to stink at that point.

Chompless wanted to eat, but she was so beaten up that she couldn't at the moment, "Chompless, what happened to you?" Littlefoot asked. Chompless either didn't want to talk about it, or she was just traumatized from what happened. Either way, she didn't say anything, "Chompless? Chompless? Say something! Anything!" Littlefoot said. Chompless still said nothing, so he gave up. He turned to Chomper, "She won't say anything. We need to help her heal again. Chomper, could you get those healing plants, please?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper nodded and was about to get some, but his mother dropped a whole pile of them next to Chompless, "Oh. Thank…you." Littlefoot said, not expecting that. Then Chomper's mom sat down next to him, and his father sat next to her and watched for any threats.

Littlefoot began the process of soaking Chompless' wound. She winced in pain, but she dealt with it. Throughout this whole time, Chomper was wondering what his parents were doing here, so close to the Valley, " **Uh, Mom? What are you and Dad doing here? I thought you were going to stay on the island.** " he said. She nuzzled him, " **We were. But one day, Redclaw and his Fast Biters fled. We were glad at first, but then we realized that something else that was even worse must've been around because we know how fierce & aggressive they are. When we realized this, we got worried, but we weren't scared enough to leave. A few days passed by, and many plants on our island started dying. For no reason, I might add. This made it harder to stalk any prey that came onto the island. A few more days passed, and we saw another Sharptooth wandering in the remainder of the forest while we were hunting other things. We were starving, and it was much bigger than anything else we'd found, so we went to attack. It seemed to know that we were coming because it whacked both of us with its tail without even glancing back, or smelling us. And it knocked us both clean off our feet. It also could've been a coincidence, but I have my doubts. Anyway, it turned to face us, and it was disgusting. It had…strange yellow spots all over it. It had a lot of skin missing on its stomach, and it had strange black…slime on it. Most of it was on its head, but some of it was also on its tail. It was just the most hideous thing I've ever seen. Then it looked at your father, and then he turned to me. Normally, I wouldn't have thought twice about that, but I could tell by how he was looking at me, and by the scent, that he was trying to attack me. I had no choice but to run because I didn't want to have to kill him if I didn't have to. He chased after me. The other Sharptooth didn't seem to want to follow. It just stayed where it was. When I lost sight of the dinosaur, your father seemed to snap out of…whatever he was in. Then, later that night, it got foggy. As we were laying down to rest, I saw those same red eyes and the same jagged teeth that you just saw. We realized that the dinosaur was more dangerous than we thought, so we left and decided that we might as well search for you. But we didn't know that it had followed us off.**" she explained.

It was quite a bit for Chomper to take in, " **Dad tried to kill you? Why? What got into him?** " he said. She shrugged, " **I really wish I knew, but I don't. Although, I have a nagging feeling that that dinosaur had something to do with it. But there's no way for me to be completely sure.** " she answered. Then Chomper tried picturing the dinosaur, but he couldn't, " **Not to say you're crazy, but how are you sure you weren't imagining any of this? I can't imagine such a dinosaur actually existing.** " he asked again.

" **I'd say that attacking your mate for no real reason is something that you wouldn't ever imagine. And it looked directly at me, so I'd say I got a look of it, too.** " his father said. Chomper looked at him and remembered that there were always at least two sides to a story, " **Oh. Well…Dad, if you don't mind telling me, what exactly was going through your mind when this happened?** " he asked. His father had to think about that day, " **Well, I was thinking to kill the dinosaur for food, no matter how disgusting it looked, but then something changed. I…it felt like something else was telling me to kill your mother. And…then my vision got really blurry, and I just felt myself turning toward her. I got a sudden urge to kill her but…I couldn't resist it. I kept trying, but I couldn't. It felt like I was being controlled by something else. But…I can't remember anything else after that. At least up until the dinosaur was out of sight. When that happened, my vision became clear again, and I felt I had complete control over myself.** " he said.

Chomper had to contemplate this new information, "He felt like he was being controlled by something else. He was thinking to kill it, but something else told him to kill Mom. That dinosaur had to have had something to do with this. His thoughts changed as soon as it looked at him. That very suspicious." he thought. He wasn't sure how the dinosaur could do what it did to his father, but he was very sure it did. And, by now, Littlefoot had finished with Chompless, but her broken leg was really going to inhibit her, "Well it looks like we're back to square one. From games back to intensive care." he thought.

Chomper realized that he should let Littlefoot know why his parents were here, for one thing. But also to let him know that being out in the Mysterious Beyond to meet Chompless might've become much more dangerous than before. Mainly, what he was worried about was the possibility of that dinosaur managing to find its way to where they were, and doing the same thing to Littlefoot that it did to his dad. Then he worried about another possibility of the dinosaur finding them. It could do the same thing to him, or worse, Chompless. But he was concerned that it would scare Littlefoot enough to simply abandon her, which he didn't want. He cared about Chompless just as much as Littlefoot did.

Only now did he remember the object that was lodged in her arm. He walked over to pull it out. Not before warning her, though, "Chompless, I'm going to remove that thing from your arm, okay?" he said. She nodded and laid her head to rest. It looked just like a normal stick, but there was something on the end. When he tried pulling it out, it wouldn't budge, "Oh, come on." he groaned. He kept pulling, but it still wouldn't come out. He had no other choice but to yank it out, "Chompless, this is going to hurt worse than I thought because this thing is not coming out easily." he said.

She looked at him and nodded, but she bared her teeth now. Then, with all his strength, he ripped it out. Chompless wanted to roar in pain, but they were so close to the Valley that she had to keep her mouth shut. Chomper looked at the object, and it was a little more complex than he'd first thought. It was a stick, but the end of it had been sharpened, "Something…made this." Chomper thought. He asked Chompless to roll onto her other side so he could get the other object out. She did just that.

Luckily, this one came out much easier than the first. This one was stick with a sharpened rock tied to the end, and also held on with some very sticky substance, "I've never seen anything like it." he said. He then looked at a tree and got a thought. He started swinging at it, which got everyone's attention, "Chomper, what are you doing?" Littlefoot asked. Even Chomper was unsure, "I'm not sure, but this ( _Shows it to everyone_ ) was lodged in Chompless' arm." he said.

He kept swinging while everyone looked at him. He eventually cut through the entire tree, not that it was the thickest one ever, "Wow, Chomper. What do you think that thing is?" Cera asked. He looked at it again, "I don't know. I don't know where it came from, or what made it, but I do know that something did. And, just looking at how it's made, it is quite advanced, at least more advanced than us. Because of this, I'm very worried about whatever did make this." he said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: A Sight To Not See**

Now Littlefoot & Cera got worried, too, "You're right. What could've made that?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper shrugged, but Chomper's mother had an idea, " **Chomper, show it to me.** " she said. He did, and she sniffed it. Other than Chompless' blood, she picked up another scent. One that she recognized, " **I know that scent. On our way here, we saw a mass grave of Sharpteeth way in the distance…that way.** ( _Faces southeast_ ) **Most of the bodies there had a few of these…things lodged in them. And there were other things, in the bodies, too. Most of them were like this one, and they were lodged in tree trunks. I feel as though they were thrown at a target but missed. There were many sharpened sticks also. They were loded in arms, legs, and tails of the corpses. And, just so you know, there were more bodies than we've even seen in an area. We were scared because we were afraid that one, if not both of us might become the next victim. We didn't even sleep because we wanted to get out of there quickly. Whatever created that mass grave must've been near for that to be in your friend's arm.** " she said.

Then his father chimed in, " **It was horrific, son. There were some corpses that had nothing in them, but they were murdered in the most brutal way we've ever seen. Now, we ourselves have seen many corpses, as you can imagine, but some of them were nothing like we'd ever seen. Or even thought were possible. Some had all their organs ripped out completely, and were splattered against trees, rocks, all over the place. Some had been torn in half. There were even body parts scattered all over the place. When we first came upon the area, a Fast Biter foot fell out of a tree and landed on me. Then your mother stepped on a Sailback Sharptooth's sail. It was a complete massacre. Whatever did this must've had…I can't even imagine the reasons for these intentions.** " he said.

He then stood up and went to get some food for them. " **Maybe it was Redclaw.** " he said. His father shook his head, " **I am very positive it was not him. There was also a giant footprint that we saw as we were leaving. It seemed a lot bigger than mine, I can tell you that.** " he said

Chomper felt silly for saying something like that. He knew that no Sharptooth, even a pack of them, didn't kill that many others, not to mention their own kind.

So he changed the subject, **"Well, you've found me. But what are you going to do, now? I mean, I don't think you could stay around here without someone else finding out.** " Chomper said. His mother gestured to Chompless, " **You said that your Mystery Tooth friend you've been seeing for months. Her presence isn't known, is it?** " she said back.

Chomper realized that she did have a very valid point, but keeping his parents hidden in an instance like this was something he felt wouldn't go down well, " **True. But, she's…I don't know how to say it, but she's a lot easier to hide than you would be.** " he said. She cocked her head, " **Explain.** " she said. He tried thinking of a way to tell her, " **Uh…it's…different with her than it'd be with you. For one thing, no offense, she's much smaller. So if someone ever saw us, she can hide easily. You and Dad…not so much.** " he said.

She figured that point out before he even spoke, " **True. But that's an obvious factor. What else could make it hard to hide us?** " she said. " **Uh…well, you and Dad are both grownups and have had no need to fight your instinct to kill. I've had to fight my instincts since I came here. Chompless is young, she's never hunted—to my knowledge—and she doesn't have instincts to kill, yet. And it feels like we...sort of…imprinted on her. Once she does get those natural instincts, it'll be easier for her to resist killing any of us. And maybe we can make her do the same for others if she's ever discovered. Like I said before, you're both grownups, and have never needed to resist the urge. That's the main problem with keeping you and Dad hidden around here. If you kill anyone, word will spread, and I'm worried that everyone will know that we have been out here with Chompless and they'll get rid of her.** " he said.

She knew that he was right, " **That is also true. It'll be a little difficult for us to resist, but I think we can manage. The many, many times that there wasn't any food on our island, we were able to ignore our hunger pangs. Otherwise, if we weren't a family,** ( _Nuzzles him_ ) **then I might have killed your father at some point so you & I could've had a meal.**" she said. Chomper looked around to make sure his father didn't hear, even though he knew he was gone.

The whole night, Littlefoot aided Chompless. But when the time came for him, Chomper, and Cera to leave, Littlefoot didn't want to because he was worried about Chompless' safety. But Chomper's mother offered to watch her until they came back. Littlefoot was unsure about this, but it was either that or stay up all night worrying about her. He decided that he really didn't have a choice, and he nodded, and they walked back home. Chomper patted him on the back, "I know you're very worried about her. But believe me, my parents will not kill my friends. They respect who I befriend. Well, they only kill a friend if they give them a reason to. And I'm sure Chompless will never give them a reason. And as a bonus, they've dealt with far worse injuries than we ever have. They'll take good care of her while we're gone. Trust me." he said.

Cera tried to lighten the mood, "Well, at least they'll also bring her food more often. And in bigger quantities, too." she said. This made Littlefoot feel a little calmer about Chompless, and he looked back to her. She looked back to him and weakly waved goodbye. The next night, Littlefoot left earlier, just because he was still worried. When he got there, Chomper's father was asleep, his mother had just come back with a giant chunk of meat and set it down, and Chompless began eating.

Chomper's mother picked up Littlefoot's scent and looked in his direction, " **He's come earlier than Chomper said. Oh, he must be very worried about his friend. No reason to stop him.** " she thought. Littlefoot went over to Chompless, and the bandage of leaves he'd wrapped around her foot was solid red with blood. He was pretty sure it was because she was bleeding a lot, but he had no way to ask, nor did Chomper's mother have a way to explain. Not too long after, Chomper and Cera showed up, "Oh. Littlefoot, what are you doing here ahead of us?" Cera asked. "I was still worried about Chompless, so I came a little earlier to be sure that she's okay." he admitted.

Then, Chomper's mother looked at him, and he could tell by her expression that there was something wrong. Then she gave him the news, " **Son. Tell the Longneck that his friend has a few severe problems.** " she said. She told Chomper what to say, but he got worried when she told him what happened. He was worried that it'd give Littlefoot a heart attack. But he had to tell him, "Littlefoot? ( _He looks at him_ ) My mother just told me that Chompless' has a few injuries. And...they're really bad. She's torn a muscle in her leg. She's ruptured a blood vessel, and her laceration is beginning to get infected." he said. Littlefoot had a blank expression while he was registering this information.

Then, his eyes almost bugged out, "She's WHAT?" he said. Chomper repeated himself. Littlefoot practically passed out. He did fall onto his side, but Chomper helped him back up, " **She will be fine. You just need to retrieve the blood leaves from the Death Canyon.** " his mother said. Chomper looked at her, " **The what?** " he asked. She repeated what she said, " **Those blood leaves you used on me?** ( _She nods_ ) **Death Canyon?** ( _Nods again_ ) **You do know why that place is called that, right?** " he said.

She nodded, " **Of course. But your father will be going with. You didn't really think I was just going to send you off to do that on your lonesome, did you?** " she said. He understood. She then woke up his father. She had already told him what needed to be done, so he was already ready, " **Come on, son.** " he said. Chomper got up to leave, but Littlefoot stopped him briefly, "Be careful out there. Okay?" he said. Chomper nodded, "Believe me, Dad will make sure of that." he said. Then, they went off.

Death Canyon was approximately 25 miles from their location, so there was a lot of time to pass, not that they walked there. Chomper's father knew the urgency of Chompless' condition, so he was trotting, and Chomper was doing his best to keep up. Halfway there, they came across a similar scene to what his parents had described, " **Oh, no. Chomper, this is what we told you about. I hoped you wouldn't see one, but, now you know. Although, this one seems different than the one we saw. It appears that most of these Sharpteeth were killed recently, but nothing has been eaten. Whatever killed them must have been killing for sport.** " he said, sniffing the air.

Then they saw a dead Flyer with its wings completely gone, " **Are you sure nothing has been eaten?** " Chomper said. His father tilted his head, " **Hold on.** ( _Sniffs_ _corpse_ ) **The scent tells me that this Flyer has been dead for about a week. But, other than its wings, it was untouched. And...** ( _Sniffs_ _air_ ) **it seems that nothing was around this at all. I get the feeling that it was already dead when it was brought here, or it was left to die.** " he said. Chomper was more worried when he said that the general time the Sharpteeth died was recent, " **You don't think that the dinosaur responsible for this is around, do you?** " he said.

His father didn't want to think about that possibility, " **I'd rather not worry about that. Let's just get what we came for and then get back to your friend.** " he said. Chomper couldn't agree more. He picked Chomper up and ran through the area. But, once they were almost out, his dad tripped on something, sending Chomper flying into a tree, "Ow." he said, rubbing his head. His father wasn't quite as quick to regain his senses, but Chomper heard that same gurgled growl in the direct vicinity. His heart started racing, mainly because of that growl, and that his dad had tripped over a tail.

He wanted to say something, but the dinosaur the tail belonged to was turning towards his father, and he was worried that if he said something, it'd come to him. His father lifted his head to look around, and he heard the dinosaur growl right next to him. He looked up, and it was almost face-to-face with him, " **Oh, no.** " he thought. The dinosaur circled around him. He quickly realized that it was the same dinosaur that his mate had described. It had the strange yellow spots all over its body, its head and some of its tail had strange black slime on them.

It had no skin on its stomach, at all. Some of its intestinal linings were visible. Blood was dripping from there. It had blood all over its teeth. And what skin it had on its neck looked saggy, like clothes that were too big. Some skin was completely nonexistent on the top portions of its tail. Meaning that a few pieces of bone were visible. It was hideous to look at. It didn't seem like it had any eyes, but appearances can be deceiving. As it turned out, it not only had eyes, but it had six. One of the eyes was blood red with a black pupil, and another was orange with a green pupil.

The rest of its eyes were white with no pupils. It could still see through all of them, and it spotted Chomper, "Oh, please no." he thought as the abomination turned toward him. It stared at him for a short while before turning back to his dad. Then the two pupils contracted, and then there was a humming sound. Then, his father started stumbling, and shaking his head violently, like something was on him that he really wanted off.

Chomper had a bad feeling about what was happening. He did not hesitate to get up and run. He was passing by the corpse of a Spino, he got a thought. A very disgusting thought, "If I cut and hide inside this corpse, that thing won't be able to see or smell me. Or should I hide behind it? No, it'd easily find me if I did. I guess…in I go." he thought. He quickly used his claws to cut a hole into the corpse, "I hope this works like I imagine." he thought. He made sure to go deep into it for the highest chance to stay concealed.

He then saw his father walking past the corpse, his pupils contracted to the max, "I get the feeling that that thing has done something to him. I wish I knew what." he thought. His father was sniffing the corpse intensely. Then, a voice spoke, "Did the Rex find him?" it said. Then, the abomination creature seemed to make some grunts & growls. "No? He didn't? Okay. You can free him, now. We'll get the other one soon enough." the voice said. Then there were footsteps leaving the area, and his father shook his head and his pupils went back to normal.

He calling Chomper, but he was waiting until he didn't hear any footsteps. Once that happened, he came out from the corpse, " **Dad, what happened?** " he asked. His father sighed, " **The same thing that happened on the island. I felt as if I wasn't in control of myself. I felt as though that dinosaur was making me search for you.** " he said. Then Chomper wondered about the voice, " **Who do you think that voice belonged to?** " he asked. His father was confused, " **Voice? What voice?** " he said. Now Chomper was confused, " **You didn't hear that voice? They were speaking to that…thing.** " he said.

He tried to recall, but everything from the moment the dino looked at him to the moment it left, he couldn't remember anything, " **I can't remember anything that happened after that dinosaur looked at me.** " he said. Chomper was concerned, " **Nothing? Nothing at all?** ( _Father nods_ ) **There's definitely something wrong with that thing. Obviously, the way it looks is unimaginable. It looks like it shouldn't physically be alive. But it seems that it has that ability to make you forget everything from the moment it looks at you. There's something else that must be going on with it.** " he said. His father nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: New Things**

While they both had valid reason to be afraid, they continued on to Death Canyon to get the blood leaves for Chompless. On the way out of the massacre, a Fast Biter covered in bleeding cuts grabbed Chomper's foot, " **Be wary of the Beta!** " it said. Chomper looked at it, " **The what?** " he asked. The dino said it again, " **The Beta! Don't look at the Beta!** " His father turned around and saw what was happening, but he wanted to hear what the Fast Biter had to say. Chomper tried to get free from the dino's grip, but it wouldn't be necessary in a few moments.

" **What is the 'Beta'?** " he asked. The Fast Biter gave no answer because life then left it. It exhaled its final breath sharply before its arm and head went limp. Chomper casually moved his leg out from there, " **You okay?** " he asked. Chomper was perfectly fine, although very curious as to what the Beta was, " **I'm fine. But he was talking about something called the Beta. And I'm wondering what that is. Wait, you don't happen to know, do you?** " he said.

Chomper had a feeling that the chances of his father knowing the creature were most likely infinitesimal before he even asked, but it couldn't have hurt. His father shook his head, " **No. I have never heard of anything called a 'Beta' before. Unless it was speaking about the secondary leader of a pack of Sharpteeth in the event the alpha is killed. But in a pack, the second-strongest would just become the new alpha, and it isn't called a beta. Although it didn't seem like the Fast Biter was talking about ranks in a pack.** " he said.

Chomper could've guessed that, " **Let's just get those leaves and get back, okay?** " his father said. Chomper nodded, and they continued on. When they reached their destination, there was a small river flowing through it. They both decided to take a drink. But, as they were drinking, Chomper saw the water turning red. He stopped and told his dad, " **Dad. Look.** " he said. He saw it, too, " **That's definitely blood. Something probably got killed upstream. Best we don't go up there.** " he said.

Then a corpse floated past them, and it was an adolescent Fast Biter. Now, they both looked at each other. His dad thought he knew what he was thinking, " **Chomper, don't you even think about going upstream to see what killed that Fast Biter. You hear me?** " he growled. The thought actually hadn't entered Chomper's mind before he said this, but now it did. He nodded, but as soon as his dad's back was turned, he left. He knew Chomper would instantly defy him, and he immediately looked back, " **Why do I bother?** " he said to himself.

He followed Chomper, making sure to keep him unaware of his presence. When Chomper stopped, his father hid in thick bushes and watched, " **Hm. I'm stalking my own son. Should this feel wrong? No. Not if you're just keeping an eye on him.** " he thought. Chomper saw two large footprints that were very slimy. Not wet. Slimy. He looked around, and then he heard the growl, " **Oh, no. I think it's that abomination.** " he thought. Then, he heard something stop behind him, "Oh, boy. This is probably gonna be bad." he said to himself. He slowly turned around, and there it stood.

It didn't seem very hostile. It just stood there and looked at him. When Chomper cocked his head, the dino mirrored him, like it was curious. It didn't last long, though, because his father realized the danger and ran in. He grabbed Chomper and got him out of there. The dinosaur didn't bother to chase them. It just watched as they disappeared from sight. Then they were in the clear, Chomper was placed on the ground, and they both heard a voice this time, "Nickie, it was right there! You could've taken him! Why'd you just stand there? That dino alone is going to be valuable to have with us. You need to get them alive somehow. Otherwise, Tyranto will not be very happy." it said. The dino then turned back and left, along with the owner of the voice.

" **That's the voice I told you about after we saw that dinosaur. I think whoever it is must be friends with it or something along those lines. And, who is this Nickie? Or Tyranto?** " Chomper said. His father was unsure, " **I don't know. Neither name sounds familiar. I can tell that whoever was speaking, they were talking to someone. But the chances of it being to that abomination are probably very unlikely. But I can't say for sure.** " he said.

Then, they took a few more steps forward when something fell onto Chomper's snout, " **What the..?** " he said. He started looking up, and he saw 3 Fast Biter corpses hanging from some high branches. One had been completely skinned, one was completely gutted of muscle and organs, and the third had its limbs completely torn off, and it had a sharpened double-edged rock connected to a stick lodged in its face and one in its chest.

Chomper had never seen anything like that before. Sure, he just saw the mass grave, but dinosaurs being hung on a tree? Let alone what was done to the bodies? He never could've imagined why something would do this, " **Dad. Look. Something hung these Fast Biters on this branch. And each body has been...I don't even know what to call that, but it's almost as bad as the mass grave.** " he said, pointing. His father looked up, " **Oh…my. I definitely have not seen that before. What would do this to a dinosaur? Or anything?** " he said. Chomper was scared to imagine what would, but he didn't need to because he saw what they were after, " **Over there. There are the leaves.** " he said.

His father looked and nodded, " **I'll get them and then we're going right back to your friend.** " he said. They walked over, but as Chomper was halfway there, something was thrown at him. It would've hit him had he not heard the whistling of it flying, which got him to stop in confusion. The object flew right in front of his face and hit a tree.

He went over to get a closer look at it, and it was very similar to what he saw in one the hanging Raptors. He grabbed it and called to his father, " **Dad.** ( _Looks back_ ) **Something just tried to throw this at me.** " he said, showing it to him. He got concerned for his son's safety, " **Stay close. We're going to get these leaves and get out of this place.** " he said. Chomper had no better ideas, so he stayed right next to him. They got the leaves and very quickly headed back.

They didn't see any new Sharpteeth corpses on the way back. Nor did they see the abomination. Once they got back, though, Chomper's mother could easily tell that they were both spooked, " **Tell me what happened.** " she said. Chomper and his father explained everything, " **You saw that dinosaur again?** ( _Both nod_ ) **And the same thing happened when you looked at it?** ( _Nods_ ) **Whatever that thing is must be avoided at all costs. We cannot risk Chomper or his friends' lives. We need to keep them safe, too.** " she said.

She began tending to Chompless' soon-to-be infected wound. " **It will take a few hours before the ooze in these leaves sinks in and counteracts the oncoming infection. But, it will go away, and she's going to be fine.** " she said. Chomper, Littlefoot, and Cera all breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay. Now, I can calm down." Littlefoot said. Then, it was time for them to leave, "We've got to go home, now. See you tomorrow, Chompless." Littlefoot said. She waved goodbye. The next morning, about an hour after Littlefoot & Chomper woke up, it was unusually hot.

The next few days were also hotter than normal, and Littlefoot noticed this greatly, "Chomper has it been unusually hot these past couple days? Or am I going crazy?" Littlefoot asked while standing in the middle of the watering hole a few days later. Chomper had taken notice, "It really has been. If we didn't have the Thundering Falls constantly supplying us with water, I feel that all the watering holes would dry up." he said. Littlefoot nodded, "Yeah. And we might have another fire. But, at least I know I'm not going crazy about this. Unless we both are." he said.

Chomper chuckled. 4 more days went by. That night, when the trio went to meet Chompless, Chomper had spotted a small lizard and was chasing after it. Cera & Littlefoot both knew he'd eventually catch up with them, so they kept walking. Chomper did eventually catch the lizard and ate it, but then something fell onto his head, "( _Muffled_ ) Hey! What the…? What is…? Get this thing off me! Cera! Littlefoot! I need some help!" he said. The object made it so he couldn't see anything. He walked into about 5 trees before he walked into Chompless and fell onto his back, "Chomper, what's that on your head?" Cera asked.

He was trying to pull it off, but it wasn't working, "I don't know! I think it fell onto me, but I can't…get it…off!" he said. Chompless then reached over and pulled it off with no problem. Chomper then looked at her, "Thank you. It feels so good to see again. Now, what is this thing?" he said, picking it up. It looked hollow, but it had a handle on the top, "Seriously, what is this?" he said, completely clueless. Chompless then gestured for him to give it to her, so he did. She looked inside of it, and she recognized its design.

She gestured toward the river Littlefoot always got the fish from, "The Fast Water? What about it?" Cera asked. Then Chomper's dad looked at it, and he also recognized it, " **Son, I recognize that thing. Go to the water and hold that under it. I think it can catch the water. I think it's called a bu…buck…bucket.** " he said. Chomper tried to picture how this bucket could catch water, but he couldn't. So he went to the water, held it under it for a few seconds, and pulled it back up. It was full, "Wow. This is…weird. I've never thought carrying water like this was possible. ( _To Chompless_ ) Chompless, are you thirsty?" he said. She looked and licked her lips as she nodded.

He carried the bucket back to her, and she started drinking like she hadn't seen water in a month. He had to refill the bucket a few times over before she stopped drinking, "I feel like something must've made this, too." Chomper said. Chompless tried to sniff it, but all she had been able to smell since they got her back was her own blood. Then the sound of heavy footsteps became audible. Both adults were on their feet, and their guard, " **All of you, stay here. We'll take care of this.** " Chomper's father said.

They all knew, but they stayed very close to Chompless, "Everybody keep quiet." Chomper whispered. Cera, even though terrified of hostile Sharpteeth, which was just about all of them, managed not to let her fear show. Both adults disappeared from sight, and then there was a mega roar that practically shook the ground, "Good grief! What possesses that powerful of a roar?" Littlefoot whispered. When Chompless heard the roar, her eyes flew open because she recognized it, but she still wasn't saying anything.

Then, they started hearing something cracking, "What's that sound?" Cera said. Then they heard crumbling, and they looked at the walls of the Valley,

Rocks were crumbling, "Earthshake!" they all yelled. They turned to run inside, but Chompless couldn't get up, "We can't just leave her!" Littlefoot said. Cera then saw trees around them start falling, and one was about to land on top of them, "We don't have a choice! Run!" she yelled. Littlefoot looked and saw the tree, "Aaaaaaaah!" he yelled. They all ran back into the Hidden Canyon.

But before they could get in, rocks from the walls on either side fell and blocked them, "No!" Cera yelled, skidding to a stop. Littlefoot & Chomper tried to stop but bumped into each other. Then rocks started rolling toward them, "Get out of the way!" Cera yelled, running to the left. They ran with her, "We need to find somewhere safe to wait this out!" Chomper said. The earthquake lasted a few more minutes before it stopped. Then they could stop to catch their breath, "Wow. ( _Panting_ ) That was…a powerful one. It almost…felt as power…ful as the Great…Earthshake." Littlefoot said. Cera agreed, "You got that right. It felt like…the ground was being pulled…from under my feet." she said.

Then, they heard a weak groan, and they all gasped, "Chompless!" they said in unison. They went back to where they left her, and of course, she was still there, but there may or may not have been a tree on top of her, "Oh, no! Is she dead?" Cera asked. Chomper sniffed the air, "No, she's alive. But I don't exactly know how we're going to get her out from under there. This tree is massive." he said. That was relieving to them, but what was not relieving was that there were heavy footsteps that stopped behind them, "Oh, no." Chomper said.

They slowly turned around, and looking down at them was teeth. They looked up to see what said teeth belonged to. They belonged to a Rex with a scar going from its eye to its claw, "Not Redclaw." Cera said. He looked at them, and they were expecting him to eat them, but he didn't. Then, Screech & Thud showed up, "Oh, great. At least it should be quick." Littlefoot said. Redclaw then sniffed them.

Screech picked up Chompless' scent, " **Red, There's something underneath that tree.** " he said. Redclaw looked to the tree and also sniffed, " **That smells familiar, but I can't put a point on it. You two, help me move this.** " he said to the Raptors. Then Chomper's parents ran back, " **Redclaw…** " his father growled.

Redclaw continued staring at the tree, and he replied without looking away, " **Calm down. I'm not interested in you, or your son, or his friends.** " he said. Chomper and his parents all looked at each other in confusion, " **You know he has friends?** " his mother said. Redclaw snarled softly and then looked at them, " **Yes. They were quite a bundle of trouble for us back then.** " he said. Both of them looked at each other, then to Chomper, " **Chomper. I thought you promised to stay within Ruby's sight.** " his father said. Chomper shrugged, " **I did and I was when we encountered them. But when I found out about Chompless, things have changed. I don't trust that Ruby will be able to keep this a secret.** " he said.

Redclaw then looked at him, " **Chompless?** " he said. Chomper looked at him, " **She's a friend we've been seeing for the past few months. She's underneath that tree.** " he said. Redclaw then moved his head under one end and lifted it up. Once it was off, he saw Chompless and gasped, " **A Mystery Tooth? I thought they were just a myth. I'm glad I was wrong.** " he said. Chomper was surprised, " **How does everyone seem to know about a Mystery Tooth when we've never heard anything?** " Chomper said.

Redclaw knew and he told them, " **The Mystery Tooth is usually never spoken about among Flatteeth because none have seen them before, except for one. I suppose more may have encountered one and survived, but from what I have heard, only one ever saw a Mystery Tooth and lived to tell the tale. But, I always thought that his story didn't get around much because nobody seemed to believe him. Among us Sharpteeth, though, there are many stories about them, most being scary. But a majority of these are about things that their kind has done to us. The first ever story told about them, at least that I remember hearing, was that one apparently was seen leaving the area of a mass grave of Sharpteeth that had been slaughtered in horrible ways I never could've imagined at the time, and that's what initially gave them the notoriety we associate them with, now. But, the next story I remember hearing was when one apparently killed a whole pack of Sailback Sharpteeth, only to let the corpses go to waste. Not eating them, in other words, killing for sport. Most of the stories I've heard are about them killing us. I haven't heard anything else than that about their kind.** " he said.

Chomper realized something, " **Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. That first story…one was seen in close proximity to a mass grave of Sharpteeth?** ( _Redclaw nods_ ) Aye-aye-aye-aye-aye. Wait, what we saw couldn't have been Chompless. She's too hurt right now, plus she doesn't hunt. At least I don't think she does. But still, that doesn't make any sense, if it was her, as to why she'd kill so many Sharpteeth. She's quite docile unless it's an instance like when me or Cera found out about her, or she's defending herself. ( _To Redclaw_ ) **I've seen one of those mass graves before, but the one I saw was not the work of a Mystery Tooth. Not by a longshot. There was another dinosaur close by when we got there. I saw what it was, and, I have to say, it is not like anything you've ever seen before. Trust me. Also, don't look it in the eyes.** " he said.

Redclaw had a feeling, and started asking him a few questions about the details of the dino, " **Did it look like it had 6 eyes?** " he asked. Chomper nodded, " **Yes. One was red with a black pupil, another was orange with a green pupil. And the rest…** " " **Were solid white?** " Redclaw said. Chomper nodded again, " **Yes! That's exact- Wait. Have you seen the same thing before?** " he asked. Redclaw nodded, " **Indeed I have.** " he said. Chomper then looked back to everyone, " **Can you recall anything that happened when you saw it?** " he asked.

Redclaw sighed, " **Some parts of it. It was a horrible experience that I never want to go through again.** " he said. Chomper then asked, " **Would you mind telling us?** " Redclaw looked at him, " **Sure.** " he said. He sat down, and the kids did the same.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Something New**

" **Now, where do I start? Oh, yes. I was walking alongside Fast Water that led into the Big Water with these two, and we came across a mass grave of Sharpteeth. We weren't really bothered because we had seen much worse. So we stopped at a Sailback and began eating. That's up until Screech lived up to his name. We looked where he was looking, and there was rustling in some blood-stained bushes. They moved in to investigate, but then Thud got dragged in by the dino in there. I saw this and rushed over. I was about to bite into there, but then he was thrown back at my face. Since I wasn't expecting that, the dinosaur ended up getting away. I did see that it had a black body with an orange stripe, which is the same as your friend here. Anyway, I wondered what it was, but by the time the thought to chase it entered my mind, it was long gone. I tried to smell for it, and so did they, but we got nothing at all. We decided not to bother with it, so we went back to the Sailback, but there was something else there, which didn't seem to notice us. Well, for a while. We saw a tail poking out from the trees, and then it looked at us. It looked normal, but also strange at the same time. It had spikes on its arms, on the back of its head, and on its back. When it looked at us, another Sharptooth showed up. This one was the abomination dinosaur that you saw, but something smaller came with it. It seemed that it spoke to the abomination, which then looked at the white Sharptooth. It looked back, and then to me. Then, these two** ( _Gestures to Raptors_ ) **started snarling at me. I tried to get them to stop, but then the smaller creature spoke to me. How did they speak my language? I don't know. They told me that I had two choices. One, I could fight them and die, or I could let them 'take control'—whatever they meant by that—and they wouldn't kill me. I didn't give them any reply. I just charged at them. That was the worst mistake that I think I've ever made.** " he said.

Everyone was listening very closely, " **The small creature disappeared into the trees, and the white dino grabbed me by the throat with its hand, and it somehow threw me back. The abomination didn't seem very interested because it just idly stood there. Although it was staring at the white dino. After a while though, that changed. The abomination looked me straight in the eyes, and I felt something changing. My vision was deteriorating, and I felt as though I was slowly going insane. There was this voice that seemed like it was me telling myself to listen to them, but it certainly wasn't. Something else was happening. Then, I felt like I had lost control. It almost felt like I could see from my point of view, but someone else was controlling my body. I couldn't help but follow them when they walked back into the jungle. After that, everything was kind of a blur. All I can remember is that something attacked us and the abomination ran away with the white dino. Screech & Thud seemed to act normal, and my vision came back. I looked at the dinosaur, only to see that it was the same kind, except this one was mostly black with these bright blue spots, even though they looked more like odd cuts that connected to its same colored stomach. I asked, 'Why did you help us?' but all it said was 'Go'. It turned away and walked in the opposite direction the abomination and other dino had gone. This was a while ago, and I haven't seen any of their kind since.**" he finished.

Chomper relayed this. Everyone exchanged glances with someone else, "( _To self_ ) **Spikes on the back of its head, arms, and on its back?** ( _To Redclaw_ ) **Are you talking about a King of Sharpteeth?** " Chomper's mother asked. Redclaw looked at her, " **Yes. Yes, that's what it was.** " he said. All the kids wondered what the King of Sharpteeth was, " **What's a King of Sharpteeth?** " Chomper asked. All the adults looked at him, " **Are you sure you want to know?** " his mother asked.

He nodded, " **A King of Sharpteeth is…well, its name is kind of self-explanatory. It is legitimately the king of all Sharpteeth. Usually, they are all white, but apparently, the one he saw was black with blue spots. Most of them kill for sport. More often than not, I might add. But, they just break the necks. Whatever killed all those Sharpteeth was definitely not one of their kind. But, now that I think of it, there is one King of Sharptooth that doesn't kill at all, and he has the same colors as what Redclaw described. I've never seen him before, and what I know is from what others have told me. I've heard that he shows mercy to any who attacked him. He lets them run, and they always did. King of Sharpteeth are quite rare to see, but not nearly as rare as your friend, here.** " she explained.

Chomper relayed this too. Cera & Littlefoot were both equally surprised. None of them really thought that any Sharptooth would show mercy to anything that attacked it. But for it to never have killed anything for any reason? Cera & Littlefoot's eyes nearly bugged out of their heads when they heard that part, "It's killed nothing? There's no way that could be right. Every kind of Sharptooth that's ever lived has to have had to kill, at least in self-defense." Littlefoot said.

Chomper eyed him, "Trust me, my parents don't make anything up. If they say that there's a Sharptooth that shows mercy to all who attack it, there must be. Hey, you know what? Screech & Thud can add on to what occurred that day." he said. Chomper wanted to ask, but he saw the Bright Circle was beginning to rise, "Oh no. Littlefoot, we've been awake all night." he said.

Littlefoot and Cera looked, too, "Oh, no, you're right." Cera said. Chomper then turned to everyone, " **Well, we'll be back tonight. Make sure that you don't get seen by anyone, okay? Oh, Screech? Thud?** ( _Both look at him_ ) **Tonight we'll want your side of what happened with Redclaw on that day.** " he said. They nodded, and Chompless waved to them as they left. Throughout that day, they were fighting to stay awake. Actually, Cera and Littlefoot were. Chomper had gone many nights before without much sleep, so he was fine.

But, Grandpa noticed Littlefoot stumbling a little as he walked, "Littlefoot, are you alright?" he asked. Littlefoot looked at him, "I'm fine, Grandpa. I think the heat's getting to me." he said. So far, this was the hottest day the Valley had experienced yet, so Grandpa believed him, but was still a little concerned, "Well, go to the watering hole. Wouldn't want you getting heatstroke." he said, nudging Littlefoot towards the pond, "Okay." he said. But when they got there, it completely dry, "Oh my!" Grandpa said.

Other residents started coming over as well, "This is serious, Longneck. How could the watering hole dry up again?" Topps asked. "I don't know. The Thundering Falls is still flowing, and it leads to all the other watering holes, including here, so I'm baffled. All I can imagine is that there must be a blockage, but I didn't see one." he said. Then the others showed up, "Where's the water?!" Cera said. Chomper shrugged, "I don't know. Grandpa doesn't know what happened, either. I don't think anybody knows. It's just like the water vanished completely." he said. Littlefoot was panting because he was actually starting to get hot, and this combined with his fatigue was not very healthy.

There were still other places they could get water, but that one was the biggest, coolest, and clearest, "This seems like bad luck, again." a Hadrosaur said. Topps looked at them, "I hate to burst your bubble, but it isn't bad luck, this time. The Thundering Falls is still flowing as Longneck said, and it goes here. How can the falls still be flowing and the water not reach here? Something else is going on." he said.

Then everyone started walking toward the waterfall. On the way, they saw water flowing toward the watering hole, but then it seemed like it just ended. They stopped there, and the kids went into the dry riverbed and looked around, "Do you see anything unusual?" Grandpa asked. Chomper was looking around everywhere except where he was walking. Because of this, he fell into a hole, "Whaoa!" he yelled. Everyone's head snapped to where he was a second ago, "Chomper!" Littlefoot said. They rushed over and looked down the hole, which the water was all flowing into. They saw him hanging for dear life onto a rock, "A little help, please?" he yelled.

Littlefoot lowered his tail down for him to grab onto. "At least we know where water going." Petrie said. "Chomper, was there anything down there?" Cera asked once he was back on solid ground. He shrugged, "I couldn't tell. It seemed to be a very deep hole which I'd really rather not go into." he said. The others then looked down it, "Yeah, going down there will definitely kill you. Wait a minute. Since when has this been here?" Ducky said.

"It must have just opened up very recently because yesterday this place was completely filled." Grandpa said. Then the adults determined that the watering hole drying up wasn't anything to have been concerned about as there was still plenty of water. Then, once everyone else was gone, Littlefoot just couldn't stay awake anymore. He didn't wake up until the late afternoon, "Oh. ( _Yawns_ ). Refreshing." he said. He saw Chomper walking past, "There you are, Littlefoot. Why are…you fell asleep, didn't you?" he said. "Yeah. How'd you know?" Littlefoot asked back. "I saw Cera just waking up in front of the Secret Caverns, which is a highly unusual place to sleep. This is also a strange place to rest. Not to mention, sleeping during the day." he said.

Littlefoot hadn't thought about the latter fact, "Oh. Yeah, that kind of gives it away, doesn't it? Anyway, where are you going?" he asked. "To see Chompless, of course." he said. "Oh, duh! How could I forget? Let's go." he said, getting up. When they went to see Chompless, Chomper decided he'd get the fish, "I'll get the swimmers this time." he said. Littlefoot didn't mind.

Since they rescued her, she had healed quite a bit and was standing on her own, but she was still barely able to walk, "Hey, at least she's standing. That's progress, right?" Chomper said. Littlefoot nodded, "Yeah. I do wonder why she left our meeting spot that day. And how she ended up where we found her." he said.

Chomper shrugged, "I wonder, too. But, seeing that she was tied down makes me think that perhaps something else may have found her and taken her to where she was. ( _Littlefoot looks at him with an "are you crazy?" kind of expression_ ) Although I'm just spit-balling here." he said. They walked up to her, and she was looking upward at a tree that had some claw marks on the branches. This was actually the tree she fell out of when Littlefoot first saw her.

"Hey, Chompless. ( _Looks at them and nods, then looks back to tree_ ) I have a question. ( _Looks at them again_ ) What happened on that day? You know, when we found you tied down?" Littlefoot asked. Since that day, Chompless hadn't spoken a word, and she stopped going to Chomper to learn Sharptooth. Still, she wasn't speaking, and they picked up on this, "Okay. If you don't feel like talking, that's perfectly fine. We're not going to make you say anything if you don't want to." Chomper said.

They had Screech and Thud tell their side of what happened with Redclaw, " **So, what happened after you found that mass grave of Sharpteeth?** " Chomper asked them. Screech went first, " **After we started eating the Sailback, and that hideous dinosaur showed up with the King, my vision slowly got worse, as well. I remember walking next to the dino, and there was a smaller creature that was with it. I have seen their kind before, but I can't exactly remember what they were. I think they're called…uh** **...Hair...** " " **Hairy Bothteeth?** " Thud interjected.

Screech nodded and continued, " **Yes. Hairy Bothteeth, but this one wasn't quite like the others I've seen. Anyway, I could tell that that one was a female, and when she and the dinosaur first came into sight. She had some kind of gray stick and pointed at me and Thud. Me and him both looked at the abomination, which was quite a big mistake. Then there was this strange...humming sound. It seemed to mess with me greatly. I couldn't think, and I felt as if I was fighting against myself. Eventually, though, the humming stopped. I uncontrollably walked next to the Bothtooth, and she patted me on the head. I had the thought to bite her for a split-second, but then the abomination dinosaur snarled, and then the humming returned and my thoughts the told me to listen to her. It seemed like that abomination was controlling me, but I don't have a way to know for sure.** " he said.

Then Thud picked up there, "T **he same thing happened to me, only my vision stayed normal. Then, the Bothtooth spoke to Redclaw. She said, and I quote, 'Rex, you have 2 options to choose from. Either you choose A, in which you try to resist us and you will die. Or, the wise choice, B. You let us take control and your life will be spared as long as you always follow our command.' Apparently, Redclaw chose option A and charged. She then ran into the forest, and the King threw him into a tree. Only then did the abomination become less idle. It walked over to him and looked him in the eye. Then, he seemed to fall fate to the same thing we did. Then the Bothtooth came back and said something to the King, who then said to us, 'Follow us, now.' We followed against our will, but then we were attacked by another King. The abomination and the Bothtooth fled the area, and we all regained control over ourselves. Redclaw did ask why it helped us, but I remember it saying, "Search for dinosaurs you know and make them allies. For all of your kind is in grave danger.' I don't know what it meant by that, but I guess we'll find out eventually, or not at all.** " he said.

Chomper relayed this to Cera & Littlefoot, "Wait, hold on. This abomination dinosaur...it has the ability to control a Sharptooth's mind? That is insane... ( _Both look at her with eyebrows raised_ )…ly terrifying." Cera said. Chomper nodded in agreement, "Yeah...I know. Although, that reminds me. When I first saw it, it looked at me, and then to my dad. What pupils it had contracted, and I'm pretty sure his did, too. He also started stumbling and thrashing his head like something was on him. I got scared and ran. I did…some…things…just to ensure I wouldn't be found. When I saw him a few moments later, he was trying to sniff for me, but he couldn't. Then the female Bothtooth came and spoke to, I presume, the abomination. She said something that I think was about my dad, and she then told the abomination to 'let him free.' Then Dad was back to normal after they left. A little later, while me and him were near our objective, we stopped at some Fast Water to drink. Then blood flowed down it, along with a Fast Biter corpse. Dad told me not to go and see what killed it, but…well...you can guess what I did. Anyway, the abomination found me, but it did not seem to want to do anything. It just looked and mirrored what I did. Dad then rushed in and got me out of there. And it just watched as we left." he said.

They exchanged glances with the other before looking back to him, "Why didn't it control you?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper shrugged, "I don't know. It didn't seem to try and control me. No, I take that back. It didn't seem like it wanted to control me. It literally just stared at me like it was curious." he said. They exchanged glances again, "Huh. That's strange. It controlled the grownups, but not you. I wonder why that is." Cera said.

Then, the sun was rising, "Oh boy. The second day of sleepiness, for you two." Chomper said. They looked, too, "Again? My goodness, these nights fly by." Littlefoot said. They left and tried to stay up as long as they could. Littlefoot was at the Fast Water that used to lead to the now-dry watering hole, just taking a drink. Midway through this, he dozed off and his head went completely under.

He realized this and pulled it out. Some water splashed on the ground around his legs, and it got a little slippery, "Whoa…whoa…whoa. Whoa. Wha!" he said as he fell into the water. He tried swimming against the current, but it was called "Fast Water" for a reason. He then tried swimming to the bank. He was almost able to climb up on it, but he fell down the hole.

He closed his eyes because he was expecting to die, but he landed in a pond and survived. He opened one eye, saw he was underwater, and started trying to swim to the surface. Because of his fatigue, he was really struggling to stay above the water. Eventually, he got too exhausted and couldn't swim any longer. He slowly started sinking, but then he saw something in the water moving toward him. He gasped, accidentally inhaling some water, and he tried to swim out of the way. It didn't really work.

The dino that had reached in the water now brought him back up and set him on land. Technically, he had drowned, and the dino knew this. It hit him with its tail sort of hard, yet sort of gently on his back. This got him to start coughing, and he was resuscitated. He then looked at the creature that saved him. He gasped when he realized what he saw.

He tried to scamper away but fell back into the water. The dino reached in and pulled him out again. This time, it put its tail behind him to ensure he wouldn't fall in a third time. He still tried to get away, but he bumped into it. Then, it lowered its head and looked him straight in the eyes. He was scared because the description he'd been given of this dinosaur terrified him.

It was a King.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Discovery**

He was trying to think about the outcomes of this encounter, but he couldn't think at all because he was so scared. The King's body was mainly black, but it had neon blue spots, which were shaped more like streaks or big cuts, depending on how you looked at them. These spots on the lower portions connected to its same-colored blue underbelly. These spots also seemed to have a little bit of a glow to them. It sniffed him, paused for a minute, and then removed its tail from behind him. His heart was in his mouth.

Then, it grabbed him with its hands and lifted him up. He was expecting it to eat him, and he closed his eyes. He waited and waited, but nothing happened. He opened one eye and saw it was just looking at him. It turned him all around, before eventually setting him back on the ground. He had wanted to try to get away, but now he didn't. He got the same feeling about this King of Sharpteeth as when he first encountered Chompless.

He was panting, and the King was turning around to leave, but a gray Fast Biter came sprinting out of nowhere and pounced on Littlefoot, "Aaaaaah!" he yelled. The King's head whipped around to look. It stopped and tail-smacked the Raptor off Littlefoot. The Raptor flew through the air before splashing into the water.

It then grabbed & pulled the Raptor out with both hands. The King then threw it high into the air, caught it in its mouth, and then swallowed it whole. Littlefoot noticed that it didn't chew the Raptor at all. He was looking at the King, which looked right back at him.

Then, a roar was heard, and Littlefoot saw a Carno charging straight at him, head down. He screamed again, but the King grabbed the Carno by the throat, and threw it into the water. Now, Carnos being Abelisaurids, with arms just about as useful as a T-Rex's, was having trouble swimming.

The King then grabbed it out of the water and it spoke to it. What it said, Littlefoot couldn't decipher. But, it got the Carno to not try and attack him a second time. The Carno then walked away, towards a dead end. Then the King looked at him once again.

Then he pushed his fear aside momentarily to ask it a question, "Why'd you save me?" he said. It cocked its head, as if in confusion. But it spoke. It only said, "We're all in grave danger. Your kind, especially. Find me again." before walking away. Littlefoot was shocked it spoke his language, but he pushed this aside and wondered. "You're right here." he said. "Find me again, and you'll see." it said. Littlefoot was tempted to follow, but he didn't. He looked around, and he was in a gigantic cave that was as long as the Valley. He briefly wondered how the ground above never "caved in", but he saw stone pillars holding it up, "Oh- There is an entire cave underneath the Valley that's just as big!" he said.

He looked where the King was walking, but it was going to the same dead end that the Carno was currently standing at. He was wondering why it was still walking, but then it stopped next to the Carno and seemed to growl at the wall. Then there was a flash of light that blinded Littlefoot. The King continued walking, and the Carno followed. Once the light disappeared and Littlefoot could see again, the King and Carno were completely gone. "Whoa! Okay. They…they just disappeared into thin air." he said. Then, his curiosity kicked in. He ran over. When he got there, though, it was still a dead end. He looked around, but he didn't see anything unusual.

Well, there was a message on the wall ahead of him, written in blood. He read it, "'Woe…to all…depraved…creatures. Any who fall must cleanse yourself of fear to join us in…peace'? What does that even mean?" he said aloud. He heard a bang that made him jump back. He thought he heard something after the bang, but there was nothing. "There has to be something special here because the King vanished right in front of my eyes, and there's this strange and, slightly creepy, message that I don't understand. 'Cleanse yourself of fear.' Does that mean I have to be courageous to see where the King went? I don't get it." he said to himself.

He didn't really think about it for much longer. He realized that he needed to get back to the surface. So he walked back to the pond and started calling for help. He wasn't sure that anybody up above was going to hear him, but he had to try. Throughout this time, the King was secretly watching him, alongside other Sharpteeth with it, " **Do you want us to do anything about that herb?** " a Deinonychus asked. The King looked at them, then back to Littlefoot, " **No. Let him be. He's just a curious kid. Besides, there's something about him that peaks my interest.** " it said.

" **That why you saved him?** " the Deino asked again. The King nodded, " **Yes.** " it said. Then, Littlefoot was about to give up hope that anyone would hear him, but then he heard Topps above, "Littlefoot? Where are you?" he said. "Down here!" he yelled. He saw him look down into the hole, "How'd you get down there?" he called. "I slipped and fell in the water! Do you think you could get a flyer to get me out of here?" he yelled again. "Of course. Stay there!" he said, running off to find Mama Flyer. "It's not like I can go anywhere." Littlefoot said as he was leaving.

A few minutes later, he heard some commotion above, "Be careful not to get pulled down by the water." Topps said. "I think after all these years of flying, I know what to be careful of, but thanks anyway." Mama Flyer replied. Littlefoot looked up to see her flying down, "Oh, Littlefoot. How'd you get down here…? ( _Looks around_ ) In this…odd…giant…cave?" she said. He just told her he slipped and fell in the river, "Well, let's get you back to the top." she said, picking him up. She flew him all the way up and placed him on the ground next to his grandparents.

"Littlefoot!" Grandma said, relieved. "How did you get down there?" Grandpa asked. Littlefoot looked at him, "I was just taking a drink from the Fast Water, but I slipped and fell in. There is a whole cave down there that's just as big as the entire Valley. And there was…" he said. He wanted to tell them about the King and the strange message, but he was contemplating what might happen if he did, "What? What was down there?" Topps asked. He decided not to tell them, "Other than the cave itself, nothing. Honestly, all that was down there was just a pond created from our water flowing down there." he said.

"Oh. Well, be careful next time you're drinking. Wouldn't want that to happen again." Topps said before walking away. Everyone else left, but Tria had an unusual feeling. As she was leaving with Topps, she looked back to Littlefoot, and she saw he was now sitting and he was looking down. She wondered what was going through his head, but this would have to wait for another day.

In truth, he was hanging his head in shame. He felt guilty for not telling them, but he wanted to find that King again, "What could the King possibly have meant by, 'we are all in grave danger'? All dinosaurs? Why would all dinosaurs be in danger? What could be happening? And it told me to find it again. Why would it want me to do that?" he said. Then, the Bright Circle began to set.

He stood up to head out, but then the wind picked up, "Whoo! It hasn't been this windy since Guido and Petrie were taken away." he said. He met up with Cera & Chomper and they left. When they got outside, though, it started raining, "Oh, not Skywater." Cera said. "Oh, come on, Cera. Skywater isn't that bad." Chomper said. "That's if the sky is still. It's not still at all right now." she said. Chomper agreed with her on the wind, which was getting stronger with each gust. The main reason he wasn't bothered was because he loved the rain, and Littlefoot did, too.

Then a few flashes of lightning lit up the sky. Through another flash, Cera saw a cloud reaching down to the ground, "Whirling Wind!" she said. They looked at her, "Whirling Wind? Where?" Chomper asked. She gestured in the distance, "There!" she yelled. They saw through another flash, "Oh no! Is it moving toward us or away?" Littlefoot said. "I don't know, but we need to get somewhere safe, and fast!" she said.

They couldn't argue, so they ran. They felt they needed to help Chompless get to safety, so they did. When they got there though, Redclaw wasn't there, nor Chomper's parents, nor even Screech or Thud. None of them noticed this, "Chompless! ( _Her head perks up_ ) We're going to get you somewhere safe!" Littlefoot yelled. She knew about the tornado and was already getting up. Her leg had almost completely healed, so she could walk, but it was still a little tender and hurt when she tried to go too fast. They guided her into the Hidden Canyon.

Then, the tornado jumped.

It disappeared from the Mysterious Beyond, and reappeared just outside of the canyon, "Aaaaaaah! It's right there! Keep running!" Cera said. They all screamed and kept going. They kept running without thinking about where they were heading, and they eventually hid in the Secret Caverns as the tornado came into the valley. All adults started panicking, "Everyone, get the young ones to safety! Stay as far away from the trees and rocks as you can! Keep your heads down!" Grandpa yelled to everyone.

It was very chaotic. Almost all the adults were still running around like headless chickens, avoiding the debris that was being thrown all around them. Ducky, Petrie, and Spike were all protected by their parents. The tornado was getting dangerously close to the caverns, which the three had already curled up and closed their eyes. Chompless didn't, and thankfully, she saw the tornado moving right at the mouth of the cave. She looked and saw Cera and Littlefoot start sliding toward it, and she moved in front of them, before moving them back with Chomper.

Then some rocks from the cave walls started falling near them. Chompless then wrapped her whole body around them. After about half-an-hour, the tornado finally dissipated for good, and everyone came back out, "Is everyone okay?" Grandpa asked. Most of them nodded. Chompless was almost completely buried under rocks. She pushed several off of herself before uncurling. The three opened their eyes, Chomper climbed over the rocks, and he froze, "Uh-oh. Guys…we have a very, very big problem." Chomper said. Cera and Littlefoot were making sure Chompless was okay—which she was—so they couldn't see what Chomper saw.

"What? What's the problem?" Littlefoot asked. "We're in the Secret Caverns, inside the Valley, but unfortunately, so is Chompless." he said. They both looked at him, "Wait, what?" Cera said. They both came up and looked, "Ohhhh….no. This is bad. This is really, really bad." Littlefoot said. "How are we going to keep her a secret, now?" Cera asked. Chomper looked back into the cave, "There's an opening in the Caverns that leads outside, and I'm not talking about the one where Redclaw and Screech came in once. We can get her back out through there." he said.

They had no other ideas, so they started to help Chompless up, as there were still a few rocks holding her down. But they heard Tria, who was passing in front of the cave, calling to Cera, "Cera! Where are you?" she called. They made no noise, Cera even held her breath. Luckily, Tria did not notice them. But they got concerned when she said, "Oh. ( _Slightly staggers while walking_ ) Why do I get a feeling that there's someone in the Valley who shouldn't be here?" she said to herself.

The kids were worried that she'd turn her head to the left and see Chompless. Luckily, that did not happen, and she kept walking. After she was gone, they all breathed a sigh of relief, but then got worried again, "Whew! That was a close one." Littlefoot said. "Definitely. But, it seems like she could feel Chompless' presence. I mean, you heard exactly what she said. And I think Chompless fits into that category. You know what? We need to get Chompless back out right now." Chomper said.

They nodded, and Chomper turned around to walk further in, but he literally bumped into Ruby. "There you are, Chomper! I've been looking for you all day, but I couldn't find you." she said. Chomper stuttered for words, but Chompless felt a sneeze coming on. She tried to stifle it, but she couldn't. Ruby then looked past Chomper and saw her. She gasped, and Chompless looked at her with the same feeling. For a moment Ruby just stayed there with her mouth open. But, she realized what Chompless was, and she ran out, screaming, "Sharptooth!"

Everyone's head whipped in her direction and saw her pointing at Chompless. Chompless then got hostile. She ran, to the best of her ability, to Ruby and pinned her down. All the adults then started running over. Chompless raised her arm to cut Ruby's throat, which the three saw, and they sprinted in and pushed her off, "No!" Littlefoot said. Chompless tried to get back up, but they had to hold her down, "Don't do that! Killing her, or anyone here will make things worse for you!" Chomper said.

She knew he was right, but she was still fighting to get up. When the adults got there, they all growled, "Get away from that thing, Littlefoot. That's… ( _Chompless looks him in the eye, he gasps_ ) a Mystery…Tooth." he said. None of the other adults heard him. Not that they knew what a Mystery Tooth was if they had heard him, "Get away from our kids!" Topps said, charging.

Chompless then threw the two off and jumped up. They quickly got back up and stood between her and the rest of the adults, "No! Stop!" Littlefoot yelled. The adults got very confused as to why they were protecting her, "That's a Sharptooth, children. It's going to kill you if we don't get it out of here." one Parasaurolophus said. They shook their heads, "No, she doesn't! She only kills in self-defense, or if you deem yourself a threat to her or us! Let us show you!" Cera said.

No one heard her. Then, Chompless knew what they were going to do, so she gave the screech, which got all the adults to be quiet. "All of you, listen! This Sharptooth…she is completely harmless. She only becomes harmful if she perceives you as a threat to herself, or to any of us. She's been with us for months now. If you just let us show you, we can prove our point." Littlefoot said.

Everyone else got confused, "We'll believe that when we see it." Topps said. The three smiled, "Good. Chomper, could you?" Littlefoot said. He nodded and reached out his hand to Chompless. She pretended like she was hesitant to let him touch her. But, as he moved his hand closer, she moved her head into it. The adults' eyes all opened wide and their jaws dropped, "How…how are…?" Topps stuttered. Then Chompless got an idea. She looked to Littlefoot and started licking him, "Wha- Ough!" he said as she knocked him down.

The adults were absolutely baffled by this. Tria wasn't as much, "I had a feeling someone who never had been in the Valley was close, and I guess this is who it is." she said. Topps looked at her, "Why didn't you say anything?" he demanded. She shrugged, "I wasn't certain." she replied.

Chomper stopped them, "Now do you get why we protected her? Me, Cera, and Littlefoot have been seeing her every night out in Mysterious Beyond. Littlefoot has brought her swimmers from the Fast Water to eat and also helped her heal. Littlefoot, can you explain to them what happened the first time you encountered Chompless?" he said.

Littlefoot kindly asked Chompless to stop, which she did, and he nodded, "'Chompless'?" Topps asked. Littlefoot answered, "She currently doesn't speak our language or Chomper's native one. Because I have no way of knowing her real name, I just decided to call her Chompless. And she doesn't mind at all." he said. Then, he explained about his first encounter with her. In the end, the adults were all surprised, except for Grandpa, for obvious reasons, "You helped her without the fear that she could've killed you?" Topps asked.

Littlefoot nodded, "Yes. While I was worried she might have killed me, I believed there was a possibility she wouldn't. She seemed just as scared as I was. When I looked at her at that moment, I saw myself. I would've felt terrible if I could've helped but left her and she died." he answered. The adults had nothing else to say, but Grandpa was intrigued about Chompless, "Everyone, we should decide on this matter later. Right now, we need to clean up the mess that this Whirling Wind left behind." he said.

 **Hello my readers, my readers hello! I hope you are all enjoying this new story, but I have a bit of a conundrum. I want to delete The Land Before Human and redo it, beacuse I do not like how it turned out. I have posted a poll on my profile page so I know if you either want a redo, or for me to keep it as it is. Your honesty will be greatly appreicated!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Decisions**

The rest of the adults agreed and went to work, "Littlefoot, what do you know about her life before she met you?" he asked. Littlefoot hadn't been able to ask her any questions, so Chomper answered, "All she told me was that she only remembers her mother. She said that her mother was aggressive to all other creatures. She said that she was gentle and caring to her, though. But that's all she's told me." he said.

While Chompless heard this, she remembered something her mother had told her a few weeks before she died. For the first time in about a month-and-a-half, she spoke again. To the kids' surprise, much more fluently than the last time, " **Wait. Cho…Chomper, I remember my mother…once telling me something about…a Long…ne…ck who she knew something about them was…qui...quite…uh…different than others she had encountered before.** " she said. The three looked at her, their jaws hanging, " **What? I found that l** **istening to you and those other Sharpteeth speak and practicing on my own is more effective than being directly taught.** " she said.

Chomper pushed aside his surprise and relayed her words to Grandpa, "She just remembered that her mother told her about a Longneck she had found that was very different than others she'd seen before." he said. Grandpa quietly gasped, but he wanted to be sure, "Can you ask her if her mother told her any other details about that Longneck?" he asked.

Chomper nodded, "( _Turns to Chompless_ ) Can you remember anything about how she described the Longneck?" he asked. Chompless had to think for a minute, " **Yes, but not too much. She told me that she found them with a few of, what she believed were their friends, but they were hiding. Something like that. I think she said that the Longneck…asked her…a question, but I can't remember what she told me they said. Anyway, she said they were wrapped in…something, like they were…** ( _To self_ ) **what was the word she used? Uh…um…tangled? No. Ensnared? That...sounds about right.** ( _To Chomper_ ) **Like they were ensnared. She said that she freed them and was going to let them leave. I think she said that she had no interest in harming young dinosaurs. Uh…then she was seen by an adult and attacked them, but only in self-defense. And…uh…that's…all I can recall.** " she said.

Chomper relayed this to Grandpa, who gasped again, "Her mother must have been the one we saw. ( _To Chomper_ ) Ask her where her mother is." he said. Chomper knew the answer already, "Before she stopped talking a month or two ago, she told me that her mother died. But either she doesn't know what she died from, or she's not comfortable telling. But I'd imagine old age." he said. Grandpa sighed, "Oh. ( _To self_ ) I should have guessed that she would be too old. She was a healthy young adult when I saw her." he said.

"Grandpa, can she stay here? Please? She can go to the Fast Water and get swimmers from there." Littlefoot said. Grandpa sighed, "I know how much you like and care for her, and I myself would be more than happy to let her stay, but the ultimate choice is up to the Circle Pack of Elders. I'm only one voice among them. If the rest of them are okay with your friend being here, she will stay. If they aren't, they will probably chase her out and attempt to prevent you from seeing her. If that happens, I'm sure you all will do anything you can to defy their orders, which I wouldn't blame you." he said.

The three got concerned, "But, we've shown everyone that she isn't harmful." Littlefoot said. Grandpa nodded, "Yes, you did. But I believe the biggest problem that can decide whether or not they want her here is when she gets an impulse to kill. If they suspect she'll be unable to resist, they'll believe that she will kill someone, and they will most likely exile her to mitigate that risk. I certainly hope they take into consideration your friendship with her and what sending her away might make you do." he said.

They felt okay because Grandpa wanted her to stay, and he told them he'd do his best to convince Grandma to let her stay, but they were concerned that the rest of the elders would want to get rid of her, "When are you expecting a meeting with them?" Chomper asked. Grandpa thought, "Um…most likely tomorrow because we need to clean up this mess now. ( _Grandma calls to him to help her move a fallen tree_ ) Coming, dear. ( _To Chompless_ ) You can stay with Chomper for the night. Tomorrow, when you see me and other adults gathering, come immediately." he said. She nodded, and he went to help Grandma.

Chompless turned back to the trio, "I'm scared. For her, I mean. It would be heartbreaking if all of this, everything between us and Chompless, is for nothing because we made a mistake by running in here for safety. She has no living family members, which means we are literally all she has right now. She doesn't have a home. This is probably as close as she'll ever be able to get to one." Chomper said. Littlefoot & Cera were scared about that happening also, "It would be terrible if that happened. I don't think it'd be very easy for us to see her if they decide not to let her stay." Littlefoot said.

Cera scoffed, "Like that's ever stopped us before." she said.

Ruby, despite her initial fear, walked over to them, "That's what you have been doing all this time?" she asked Chomper. He looked at her, "You saw me when I left?" he said. She wavered her hand, "Sometimes. A few times I saw you walking towards what used to lead to the Hidden Canyon, but I never gave it a second thought. And you were never there when I was going to sleep, but you were there when I woke up. But I never thought twice about that either. But I'm not upset by this. I'm glad you made another friend. And a very unique one at that." she said.

They all smiled, and she walked up to Chompless, "It's nice to meet you." she said. Chompless smiled, too. They wanted to help with the cleanup, but the adults discouraged them as they were concerned they would hurt themselves. So for the rest of the day, they played some games with Chompless.

But, after they were done with a game of Toss-the-Seed, and they were about to begin playing Swimmer-Splasher, Chompless looked at herself in the water, and something about the feeling of the water made her have a flashback.

 _She was just standing with her mother in a river, taking a drink. When she lifted her head to breathe, something seemed to hit her and the rocks underneath her shifted, she lost her grip, and she began being floating downstream. Her mother gasped and ran alongside on the bank, looking for an opportunity to pull her daughter out. The river Chompless was in led to a waterfall that was about…60 feet high. Her mother knew this was coming up. To make matters worse, Chompless couldn't swim very well, so she was struggling to stay above the water and breathe._

 _Whenever she drifted close to the bank, her mother tried to get her out, but the current was too strong and kept pulling her further downstream. Her mother kept trying, but eventually, Chompless went over the falls. She splashed hard into the pond below, but she was exhausted from trying to swim and began to sink. Her mother found a way down and looked around the pond. She didn't see her near the surface, so she stuck her head under the water and looked around. She saw her slowly sinking further and further down, not attempting to swim up._

 _She lifted her head out, roared, and dived in after her. She grabbed her in her mouth and swam back to the surface. She brought her onto land, but it seemed that she was too late._

 _Her mother didn't figure this out yet and shook her. Once she realized her daughter had drowned, she roared and hit her on the chest in anger. This got Chompless to start coughing up the water. Her mother's anger was replaced with relief. Chompless looked at her mother's emerald-green eyes. Then she looked past her. At the top of the waterfall, on the bank stood a dinosaur and some smaller creature next to it. All she could see were black silhouettes, so she couldn't identify them. They fled a few seconds after she spotted them. From that day on, she had been terrified of Fast Water._

While she remembered this, the others were trying to get her attention, "Chompless? ( _No response_ ) Chompless. ( _Still no response_ ) Chompless!" Littlefoot said. She was like a statue, completely frozen.

Eventually, Cera poked her in the side with her horn, which got her to snap out of it, " **Ow!** " she said, looking at her.

"What happened, Chompless? All of a sudden you got a terrified look on your face and you froze. Is there something here that scares you, or something?" Chomper said.

She looked down, saw she was standing in ankle-deep water, but she quickly jumped out onto land, " **I…I'm scared of the Fast Water. I just had a flashback of something that happened in other Fast Water with…my…m…mother.** " she said.

They exchanged glances, and they respected her fear, "Oh. Well…if you feel that way, you don't have to join. But, we're not in the Fast Water. We're close to it, yes, but not in it." Littlefoot said. Chompless shook her head, "Okay. We can't stop you from feeling that way, but if you change your mind, you can join in anytime." Littlefoot said. They played until the sun was setting. "Hey, at least we don't have to sneak outside to see her at nighttime anymore. Am I right?" Cera said as they were getting ready to depart. They all laughed, "Yeah. Let's just hope that it'll stay like this." Chomper said. Then they all went home and went to sleep.

During that night, Chompless had quite a bad dream

 _The next day, the elders all gathered around, and she walked over like she had been told to do. The gang was following right behind her, but as she got close to the elders, they just vanished, "_ _ **Guys?**_ _" she called. She heard nothing in reply. She just kept going until she got in the middle of the elders. As she stopped, the sky became blood red, and the elders seemed to change completely. They all gained sharp teeth, which were smothered with blood, their eyes all went red, and some gained blood on other parts of their bodies. Topps now had blood dripping off his two now-giant horns, and Longnecks had blood on their feet. The only two that did not change were Grandma & Grandpa Longneck._

 _The other elders began insulting her indirectly, "This thing will kill us all probably before this is over. She's probably contemplating how to kill one of us now." Topps said, his voice very distorted and evil-sounding. "Yeah. She's probably already eaten all of the children. You know…why are we even meeting to discuss this? We know this thing is a vicious monster, and it will never live among us. Get rid of it!" a Longneck said, attempting to stomp her._

 _She moved out of the way and started running, "After her!" they said. All the elders chased after her, except for Grandma & Grandpa, who hadn't said a word or done anything, for that matter. The elders chased and chased until she ran outside, "Good riddance, you no good beast!" Topps yelled. Outside, all the Sharpteeth possible saw her, "_ _ **What were you thinking, you pathetic sack of flesh?**_ _" a Spino said._

 _She was just getting it from all sides. Then, the abomination dinosaur described many-a-time walked up to her. It said nothing, but all the other Sharpteeth gave it a very wide berth. It lowered its head to look down at her. Instead of 4 solid white eyes, they were all solid red, but the other two eyes were normal. Either way, it was equally as terrifying. It then stood tall, opened its mouth, and attempted to chomp down on her. She dived out of the way, but the dino just kept doing this. Over, and over again._

 _She kept diving out of the way until she dived and went straight into the wall of a dead end. She realized this and the inevitable. The dino's head came down on top of her, and it had her in its mouth. It tried to swallow her, but she was gripping tightly to one of its teeth. One where it couldn't really bite down on her hands. But then this tooth suddenly fell out. Her eyes widened as she went down its throat._

 _Then she was greeted by the comfort of the real world._

She gasped as she woke up. She looked around to make sure everything was normal, which it was, and she was now panting, " **What a horrible dream. I know that will not happen exactly like that horrifying turn of events, but if I'm sent away...no. Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts.** " she said to herself. When she had gasped, Chomper and Ruby were right next to her, but they didn't wake up.

While she wanted to try to go back to sleep, she didn't at the same time because of that dream. She just laid her head down and kept her eyes open. When everyone woke up, they knew that it was Judgement Day. A few hours after, the kids were just playing Swimmer-Splasher at another watering hole with Chompless watching from the side, when Littlefoot saw the elders gathering, and Grandpa looking over to them, "Okay. ( _Sighs_ ) It's happening. Let's get this over with." he said.

Everyone looked there, too, "Well, she either stays or goes." Cera said. They all sighed heavily and walked over with Chompless. There were 16 elders in total. Upon the kids' arrival, Topps had Chompless stand in the middle of all them and had the kids leave until they were done discussing the matter. They obeyed and left the area.

Of course, as soon as the adults started talking, the kids had to listen in and they hid close by.

But the adults must've expected them to do this because they were quietly talking to each other and the kids could barely hear them.

"I think they knew we'd try this because they're talking so quietly. I almost can't hear what they're saying. Usually, or at least with your dad, Cera, these meetings can get kind of loud." Littlefoot said. Cera nodded in agreement, "Yeah. For the longest time, I never realized how loud he actually is."

They kept trying to hear them, but they eventually gave up, "You know what? It might be better if we just wait for them to finish." Littlefoot said.

They all agreed with him.

* * *

"I don't think we should trust her. It doesn't matter what anyone says she is or what she can be. Deep down, she's still a Sharptooth that will eventually have impulses to hunt & kill." Topps said.

"Yes, but you must take into account her age. She is far too young to have those impulses right now, and if she is allowed to stay, perhaps the children can teach her how to control herself if she gets those impulses." Grandpa countered.

"While that may be true, Longneck, that is a given. Many things could happen between now and then that could change her behavior and could make that a big challenge for them." Topps responded. "Or perhaps make it easier. You never know."

A Parasaur then spoke up, "Well, the thing I feel that should be taken into serious consideration is her kind. Considering none of us have seen her or any others of her kind before now, she could be a potential target. It's completely possible that other Sharpteeth may want to kill her. If she stays, and word about her presence gets out there, Sharpteeth might make their way here and attempt to kill her, and probably even some of us. Having her stay here has the potential to put a bullseye on our peaceful Valley."

The odds of Chompless staying were kind of dwindling. Some of them agreed with Grandpa and Grandma, but more were against it. Grandpa kept trying to change their minds with valid arguments, "Think about this. She has no living family members. And she has no place she can call her home. If we exile her, we're denying her a safe place to live, and the experience of a family. If she can learn to control herself and resist her natural impulses, how is exiling her because of the shape of her teeth fair? In my opinion, it truly is not." he said. This got some of those on the opposite side to realize he was right, and then they felt obligated to let her stay.

Still, the number who opposed her staying was more than those who wanted to let her stay. The odds weren't looking good, and Grandpa had to use the critical point, "Think of the children." he said.

They all looked at him, "Clarify." Topps said.

"They have been going out into the Mysterious Beyond to see and care for her. And for months, I might add. They deeply, deeply care about her well-being, and vice-versa. Think about what would happen if you decide to exile her. Do you know what the children will do? They will go out into the Mysterious Beyond to search for her. They'll be at risk of getting killed, just because they care about her so much. Is sending her away really worth risking our children's lives?"

This got even more of them to take his side, but Topps and a couple of others still opposed,

"We'd be risking their lives if we let her stay and she gets the natural impulses of a Sharptooth." he said. Grandpa thought otherwise.

"Given that that is a possibility, we'll be here to protect them if she does. If we send her away and the kids go after her, we will not be there to protect them. And, I can assure you, that no matter how hard we try to keep them from leaving, they will find a way to avoid us. Do you want to have to worry about our children going out after her? Or deal with the guilt if they are killed because of our decision? I think not." he said.

Topps couldn't argue with that logic.

After some more minor points, they all agreed and the final decision was made. Grandpa promptly called the children over. They acted like they hadn't tried to listen in, "Children, our decision has been made." he said. They were hopeful, yet nervous at the same time, "We have agreed that your friend…" he began to say. The kids' hearts were racing, and so was Chompless'.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Visitors**

"…is allowed to stay." Grandpa finished. The children all jumped with joy, "Yaaayy!" Chomper said. Chompless was happy, too, and she walked out from the circle. Chomper looked at her and hugged her tightly. She was a bit surprised by this, but she slowly got a smile and hugged him back, "Now, we must let the rest of the Valley know that she will be staying here." Grandpa said.

The Circle of Elders then went around to gather all the residents to announce that Chompless was staying. It took a few minutes, but eventually, everyone in the Valley was gathered next to the dry watering hole, and Grandpa had Chompless stand behind his tail, "Everyone, we have gathered you here to announce that we have a new resident. Now, when you see her, you may think it's a terrible idea, but she has proven herself to be capable of coexisting with us. And…it is ultimately better for the sake of the children." he said.

This got most of them murmuring, "I would like to introduce you…to Chompless." he said, moving his tail. When everyone else saw her, they all gasped, but no one said anything. Chompless was nervous beyond belief to have so many herbivores staring at her.

But, nobody questioned the decision because the elders were wise and weren't known to ever make foolish decisions. Some of the crowd that day would've believed otherwise, though.

But, they eventually pushed aside their disbelief that a Sharptooth was allowed to stay alongside them, and they all went back to what they were doing beforehand. The elders did this as well, "This is so relieving. I honestly can't say that I was expecting this outcome. I was expecting them to exile her, and we'd HAVE to sneak out to find her. I feel that she'd surely die if she was left on her own. I mean, even though her kind is apparently well-known amongst other Sharpteeth, I don't feel that that would be enough to protect her. Hey, if anything, it'd probably scare away any potential food she might manage to find." Littlefoot said.

Chomper & Cera nodded, "But, at least we don't have to do that and possibly risk getting hurt or even killed because we now don't have to go anywhere. Don't worry, Chompless. You'll get used to living here fast. I just hope that everyone else does before the Cold Time starts so Far Walkers won't be scared." Chomper said. Then a Rainbow Face approached them, "Yes. This is quite a friend you've made. I have to say that I'm very impressed." he said.

Everyone looked at him, "Excuse me?" Chomper said. "Your friend is the near-mythical Mystery Tooth. ( _All cock their heads in confusion_ ) Oh. You don't know their history? There are usually only a few Mystery Teeth alive at a time. But usually, only one is ever seen. The mate of a female Mystery Tooth dies shortly after she lays her eggs. She will only lay a couple, enough to ensure the continuity of their kind. She has to nurture her young ones for a couple of years after they hatch before she dies as well. Then the young have to fend for themselves. They have the ability to move at speeds most dinosaurs can't comprehend, not to mention they are very capable once they reach adulthood. One of them is capable of killing a pair of Sailback Sharpteeth all on their own. They've got quite a notoriety with Sharpteeth, though. After all these generations, though, still nobody knows where they came from. Your friend, I can tell, had no siblings. ( _Chompless growls softly_ ) Correction. She had one, but he has been missing for a long time, now. Most likely dead. You children are very lucky to have found her. But, be very wary. They have a bad habit of randomly attacking. It doesn't matter if what they attack is friend or foe." he said.

Chompless got agitated at this, but she stopped herself from launching at him, "Who are you to be judging our friend? We've known her for months. You just met her, so what do you think you know about her that we wouldn't?" Cera said.

The Rainbow Face looked at her, but continued, "One Mystery Tooth behaves the same way as their parents, and this goes all the way back to the first of their kind. What I'm trying to tell you is that no matter how much you try to change her behavior, you will not succeed. They are wild and are meant to live by their wits. Not live a calm life with friends in a sanctuary such as this place. She will just attack one day. Instincts are a much more powerful drive than friendship. Especially those of a different kind, I can assure you that." he said before walking away.

Everyone looked at one another as he was leaving, "I think you'll all agree with me, but, I really do not like that Rainbow Face." Littlefoot said.

Cera & Chomper nodded, "You got that right. He doesn't even know her, and here he is, judging her." Chomper said. Chompless then had another flashback.

 _A few years before, her, her mother, and her older brother were taking a walk through the woods. Their mother was searching for food and bringing them along so they could watch her hunt. She saw a lone Stegosaurus and told them both to stay back and observe. They obeyed and she snuck up on the Stego. She waited, and when the time was right, she attacked. She moved faster than any creature's eyes could register._

 _All that could be seen was a flash of black & orange, and bloody cuts appearing on the Stego in the blink of an eye. The only time she slowed down was when she was on top the Stego's neck. The dino was sure of what she was going to do, so it tried harder than ever to attempt to throw her off. It started jumping around like a crazy bull, but their mother wasn't being fazed. Chompless saw the tail coming towards them fast, and she warned her brother, but he didn't react in time._

 _He was sent flying into the distance. And all she could do was watch as he disappeared from sight. She was contemplating whether or not she should go after him, but her mother had taught her against wandering off in instances like the current one._

 _Then the Stego's throat was cut. It knew it was going to die, but it gave a danger call, which was audible to its herd, and they responded. Chompless could feel the vibrations as Stegos from all around were converging on their location. The Stego then bled to death, and Chompless warned her mother of the incoming danger. She knew, and they had to high-tail it out of there. They escaped the Stegos, but Chompless was very scared for her brother. She told her mother about what had happened. She brought her back to the nest before leaving her there to search for her son._

 _A few hours passed by, and Chompless was long asleep by the time her mother came back. But she sensed her presence and woke up. She asked her if she had found him, but judging by the exhausted expression on her face and the lack of her brother, she assumed what had happened. But, she was quickly filled with disbelief. Her mother tried to comfort her, but she didn't want any. She wanted to believe that her brother was still alive._

Since then, she had always hoped that she'd find her brother alive. Chompless inhaled sharply, and they all looked at her, "What? Is something wrong?" Littlefoot asked. Chompless tried to speak, but she couldn't exactly formulate her thoughts into words at that moment, and she got slightly misty-eyed. She needed a minute.

They waited, and then she spoke, " **My...my...my brother. I don't know how that...Rain...bow Face knew. But I did have a brother, but he…really did go missing a few years ago. I don't honestly know if he's…alive or not, but I have been hopeful that he is.** " she said.

They all looked at each other, "I'm…I'm so sorry." Littlefoot said. She shook her head, " **No need...to be. This was years ago. Months before our mother died. I hope I never find him as...as a corpse. But considering the fact that I haven't, yet, I still believe that he's alive...somewhere.** " she said. They exchanged glances again, "Hey, enough of the sad talks. Let's do something fun!" Cera said. They all agreed, but only if Chompless wanted to, as well. They all waited for a response from her, and she nodded after a minute.

They had a few different options, but they decided to play some Toss-the-Seed, "Come on, Chompless. You can watch us until you feel that you know the way the game works. Then you can join in whenever you'd like." Cera said. Chompless had no reason to refuse, so she followed them to the usual playing spot, "Ready, everyone?" Littlefoot said, getting ready to run. Everyone nodded, "And…let's go!" he said, hitting the seed with his tail.

It went flying to Chomper, who had to jump in front of Ruby to get it, "Nyah!" he grunted. Chompless watched intently. She was more focused on the one who had the seed, watching how they avoided members of the opposite team. She was intrigued by the dodges, ducks, and even some rolls executed by the possessor.

Chomper's team was in the lead by 2 points, but whoever scored next would win the game.

Chompless just about never took her eyes off the seed. She was very intrigued by the concept and general playing style of the game.

But as Littlefoot had the seed and was running for the goal, which she was standing near, she heard a whistling sound emanate from behind her and she instinctively turned her head back. She scanned the area, and then she saw something small whiz by her face, not hitting her by mere inches, and then getting stuck in a tree.

After a brief shock, she walked to the tree. She saw what looked like just a small & thin stick stuck in it. She tried to pull it out, but it wasn't coming out that easy. Unnoticed by her, Cera accidentally tripped Littlefoot, which sent the seed flying right towards her. Littlefoot figured out the trajectory of the seed and tried to warn Chompless, "Chompless, watch out!" he said.

She started to turn back to him, and then she looked up and saw the seed for a split-second before it hit her square in the face. She was knocked right off her feet. They all ran over to her, "Are you okay?" Ruby asked. She nodded, "Why didn't you move?" Cera asked. She got back onto her feet, and pointed to the tree, " **I saw this…thing fly by my face, and I wanted to know what it was.** " she said.

Chomper went over to it, "It almost seems like those rocks-on-sticks that I've seen, but this much thinner than the others. Let me see if I can get it out." he said. He pulled a few times, but it still wasn't budging, " **Wow.** **It's really jammed in there. Let me help you.** " Chompless said. He nodded and they both pulled. It did come out, but both of them fell onto their backs, with Chomper landing on top of her.

"Oh. Sorry." he said. She looked him in the eyes, and something sparked inside. Chomper and Chompless both got a strong feeling for the other, but they didn't know how to react. So they both got off of each other quickly.

As they fell, the object flew a little and landed in front of Littlefoot, who looked closer at it. It was another rock-on-a-stick, but the rock was much, much smaller. It was sharpened to a point, and the stick had feathers attached on the opposite end.

"This is interesting. It seems like it has the same things on a Featherhead Sharptooth." Littlefoot said. After the two got back up, Chomper picked it up and sniffed it. The feathers tickled his nose and made him sneeze, "Bless you." Cera said.

Then Chompless sniffed it, and she got something, " **Hey…I know that scent. I…remember smelling it a few days after my mother died. It was also on an object just like this one, but…** " she said. "But what?" Chomper asked.

It was more about her previous life, but the details she did not want to talk about, " **It's…a part of my life I…I don't want to discuss.** " she said. He understood, "Oh." he said.

"Okay. You can tell us whenever you're feeling comfort…a…ble." Chomper said slowly. Everyone looked at him, "Why did you say that like that?" Littlefoot asked. Chomper & Chompless happened to be facing the same direction, so they both saw something the others didn't yet, "Behind you." Chomper said. Then they felt a breeze and got concerned and slowly turned around. They saw a Pteranodon with a Sharpbeak perched on its arm, "Hello, children." it said.

Both were hatefully familiar to them all, "Uncle Pterano…why you here?" Petrie said. Pterano seemed surprised, "Petrie! You know it's been well over 5 coldtimes since I was banished. I've been wanting to see you the moment my banishment was finished. Cera walked a little closer, "If you wanted to see him as soon as you could have, why didn't you?" she asked.

Everyone eyed Pterano, "Well, I got caught up… doing other things." he said.

"Like what?" Petrie asked.

Pterano seemed to stammer, "Uh...um...th...things...like...getting rid of Rinkus and Sierra. Those 2, even after what they did at Threehorn Peak, when they thought that rock that landed there was the Stone of Cold Fire—which I no longer believe is real—tried to stay with me. I couldn't get rid of them, but then I met a Hairy Bothtooth who saved my life from a ravenous and extremely persistent Sailback Sharptooth. I ended up telling him about those two pests, and he said he could take care of them if I so desired. I said 'yes.' He then whistled very loudly, and this…very abnormal-looking dinosaur came out from the jungle. He pointed to both of them, once they found me again, and it killed them both before I could even comprehend it. It ate both of them. But then he turned to me, and the dinosaur looked at me intently. He told me that he could give me protection if I followed his orders. I wasn't sure what to say, so I told him I needed some time to consider his offer. He didn't seem very happy, but he let me leave. As soon as I was out of their sight, I took off. I wasn't planning on coming here, but I was passing by and I remembered you, Petrie." he said.

The kids all looked at each other, "Abnormal-looking dino? Did it have 4 solid white eyes?" Chomper asked. Pterano nodded, "Yes, yes it did. It had just about no skin on its stomach and I could see some of its bleeding insides. ( _Shivers_ ) It had these…odd…yellowy spots on its back. Its whole head had some black...gelatinous material on it. Just looking at it sent a chill down my spine. I hope I never see it again." he said.

Now the kids got concerned, "We've known about this strange dinosaur you described. I assumed it listened to someone's orders, but I didn't have a clue as to who it could've been. Did this Hairy Bothtooth, by any chance, tell you his name?" Littlefoot said. Pterano nodded, "Yes. He said he was Tyranto." he answered.

Cera then focused on Ichy, "Why did you bring him? He and his Belly Dragger friend tried to kill us a few times before."

Ichy looked at her, "Okay, for the record, I ditched that dumb sack o' teeth. She complained far too much about her eyesight. Always being dependent. Not to mention, she never gave me anything more than scraps of what she killed. I couldn't stand her, and I told her I was leaving her for good. When I told her this, and after I left, she didn't seem to be bothered at all." he said.

They were going to need more information than that, "After that happened...?" Cera said. He continued, "I survived just fine without her. It was so much better finally being able to have a proper meal. But, I also encountered this Tyranto. He wanted me as a…'pet,' whatever that was. I didn't like him to begin with, so I just flew away. I never saw that abnormal dinosaur, and frankly, I'm glad I didn't.

Neither of them had noticed Chompless yet, but she didn't like either of them. She decided to get their attention by growling. They looked past the kids to see her, "( _Gasps_ ) A Mystery Tooth? I thought they were all dead." Pterano said.

Littlefoot looked at her and mouthed, "What are you doing?"

She snarled while gesturing to the two, which made Littlefoot get the idea, "Yes. Have you heard stories about their kind?" Cera asked. He nodded, "I have. Well, he told me about the time he encountered their kind, and not too long after, I saw one, too. The one I saw and the one he saw, it was the same one, so I thought they were almost all dead." he replied, walking closer to Chompless.

He started reaching out to touch her. She snarled again, but she wasn't going to attack him. When he had touched her, he was going to say something, but her scales suddenly got hot and he had to remove his hand, "Ow! She burns to the touch." he said.

The kids were a little confused, "No, she's not." Cera said. She asked Chomper to see if she was. He touched her, and she felt just as warm as normal, "Don't know what you're talking about. She's as warm as she's always been." he said.

Littlefoot decided to end their conversation, "You know what? There's a possibility that she does not like you. Either of you." he said.

Pterano seemed offended, "Now, why would she think that? She doesn't know either of us." he replied. "I wouldn't say that. Sometimes you can tell a lot about someone just by looking at them. I'm not sure how she judges someone, so I can't tell her if it's wrong or not. I'm just saying this because she has growled a few times since you arrived. And, if you look at her face, ( _Looks_ ) I wouldn't call that a very friendly-looking expression. Would you? ( _Pterano and Ichy look also_ ) So, could you please leave us alone? I get the feeling that if you stay too long, she may try to attack you." Littlefoot answered.

Pterano didn't like the sound of that, "All right. I would not want that to happen, either, so I will honor your request. Come on, Ichy." he said, taking to the skies. Ichy followed.

As soon as they were gone, all of them turned to Chompless, "Good. I don't like them very much either, Chompless. Also, how did you do that?" Cera asked.

Chompless looked back at her, " **Heat up my scales? Simple, really. It's a trick my mother taught me and my brother years ago. When we get agitated, or upset, our scales will naturally heat up. Depending on how agitated or upset we are, that will determine how hot our scales will be. The opposite can also happen when we're sad or depressed. Anyway, mom taught us how to manipulate our temperature, regardless of our mood. Usually, we have no reason to do that, unless it's a hot day, cold day, or we're playing dead. I can also heat or cool down my normal skin independently, but I've never needed to. Since I didn't like that…Pterano or his friend, my scales heated up a little. But when he touched me, I hated that and made sure he'd get his hand off. There is one thing that I need to be worried about while doing that, though. If I make myself too hot and rub against something like a tree, it will most likely fire. I know this because I think I started a wildfire, out there, by mistake.** " she explained. Chomper relayed this.

For some odd reason, they wanted to see this, "Can you show us?" Cera asked. She cocked her head, " **You want to see me set a tree on fire?** " she queried. Chomper relayed this, and they all nodded, excluding Littlefoot, " **Really?** ( _All nod again_ ) **Okay.** " she said.

"Really?" all but Littlefoot asked in unison.

" **NO!**

" **Why in your right minds would you want to see me set something on fire?!** " she said, outraged. They backed away slightly, "We're sorry! We were just curious!" Chomper said.

Chompless was even more outraged, " **Curious? CURIOUS!? Why would you be curious to see me set something on fire!?** " she said.

Chomper tried to relay what Chompless said, but Littlefoot stopped him, "Guys, stop. Just stop talking. Why would you want to see something be set on fire? Nothing good comes from it. And, as you know we've had a fire here before. Sure, the Valley has long-since recovered, but that is no reason to want to see her set something else on fire. Even if it's out there. ( _Turns to Chompless_ ) Please, calm down. They meant it with the best intentions. Even if it certainly doesn't sound that way." Littlefoot said.

Chompless took a few deep breaths and did calm down, " **I apologize, Littlefoot. I'm just…outright shocked that they'd want to see me do such a thing. I got upset because it's felt like the equivalent of someone telling me to kill one of you.** " she said.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: A Threat**

Then Chompless walked back to the Secret Caverns. She asked that nobody follow her. After her outburst, nobody but Littlefoot was even thinking to.

While he did think about it, he didn't dare do it. He felt if she needed some alone time, it was best if it was given to her, "Asking her to set something on fire. What was going through your heads?" he asked them all.

They shrugged, "I don't know. I guess we thought it was interesting to think that she herself could start a fire." Cera said.

Littlefoot didn't quite believe that, "Since when have any of you thought that fire is interesting? Especially after the ones we've had to deal with." he asked again. They just shrugged.

They decided to find something else to do while Chompless wanted to be alone. Littlefoot watched as she disappeared into the caverns.

About 10 minutes after they left, rain began to fall. Normally, Chompless loved the rain more than most other things, apart from her friends. However, the rain triggered a memory to come forward.

It was the day her mother died. This always made her sad and well up. But a few details she had not remembered for all these years came with it this time.

 _She had woken up early in the morning. So early that her mother wasn't awake just yet. She was a little hungry and decided to look for some food. She walked and walked. She eventually found a half-eaten carcass of a juvenile Spino. She thought that it had just fallen prey to another dinosaur, and ate without thinking twice about it.  
_

 _Since she wasn't too hungry, and young, she was full quite quickly. It was raining when she woke up, and there were a few puddles around the area. She looked at them, and she got an urge to play in them. And that's what she did. She wasn't afraid of puddles like she was rivers._ _To her, the rain and the puddles that form were so serene and calming. Her mother had always felt the same.  
_

 _Good thing, too. It ended up saving her hide._

 _After a while, she could barely hear her mother yawn and presumably wake up. She realized that she probably should have been heading back before she got worried. She started walking, but a rumble of thunder blocked out a sound she hadn't heard._

 _Her mother roaring._

 _Each time there was a rumble of thunder, the sounds of a fight, claws scratching, teeth tearing into flesh, claws hitting teeth tore through the air. These sounds were emanating right from where Chompless was a few minutes earlier. There was a fight between her mother and something else, but she never heard it._

 _She just kept walking as if nothing was wrong because as far as she knew, nothing was. As her mother's scent entered her nostrils, she realized that something was very, very wrong with it._

 _She smelled…like food._

 _Fresh food._

 _Chompless then got worried and broke into a full sprint. It didn't take her long to come across the scene. Her mother's dead body right where she was sleeping. She looked as if she had died of old age. Her eyes were closed and she was in a peaceful position._

 _But there was one problem with that._

 _Chompless was heartbroken, but she picked up another carnivore's scent trail. And then she noticed something that made her realize her mother may not have died of old age. Her underbelly was ice cold, but her scales were smoking hot, indicating that she was very, very angry._

 _Then she saw two marks on her mother's leg. They looked like tooth marks, but there was no blood coming from them. Then, she got a thought and did something she_ _never w_ _ould've done otherwise._

 _She used her claws and cut her mother's body open. There wasn't a single drop of blood in her veins, nor in her heart, or anywhere in her body. There wasn't any on the ground around her, either._

 _It seemed like her blood had all been…siphoned out. Then the scent of her mother's blood drifted into her nostrils again. She instinctively followed it, but was wondering how her mother's body could be in one place and the scent of her blood be coming from somewhere else._

 _Her question was answered when she got to a rock wall. At first, she didn't see it in detail because it was dark, and she hadn't figured out how to utilize her night vision, yet. She went to continue to follow the trail, but she didn't notice that the scent was immensely powerful and ended right there. However, as she was walking to the left, a few flashes of lightning made it visible._

 _Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted blood smeared on the rock. Her head snapped to it, and she waited for another flash. When that happened, her heart began racing._

 _Through scent, she knew it was her mother's blood. It wasn't just smeared all around, though. It was smeared in a shape. Upon a more thorough examination, she realized that it was the exact same shape as her mother's head. Underneath it was a message, saying, "You are next."_

 _She gasped at this and looked around._

 _Then she heard a voice speak to her, "I know what it's like to live in fear." she looked around, but saw nothing. The voice spoke again, "To see my home destroyed…" she kept looking around, "My family…taken."_

 _She was getting more terrified with each second, "But even as a kid…left with nothing…" the voice continued. She continued looking around, even though it was obvious whoever was speaking was not in the direct vicinity, "…I vowed to rise above the fear." it said._

 _Chompless waited for the voice to speak again, but that was it. They said nothing more. Then she stopped right there._

She gasped, realizing that her mother didn't die of old age. She was murdered. She didn't know by what, but whoever spoke to her that day was involved.

That voice also began rattling around in her skull, almost taunting her, " _…to live in fear…_ " She was trying to ignore it, but it wouldn't stop.

Then she started clutching her head, " _…to see my family…taken._ " it said. She wanted it to stop. It didn't, "… _as_ _a kid…left with nothing._ " She felt like she was either going to scream, or her head was about to explode.

Littlefoot, in the distance, noticed this happening, "Uh…guys? Look to the Secret Caverns. ( _Everyone looks_ ) Tell me if you are seeing what I'm seeing." he said.

"Something's happening to her. Should we go up there?" Chomper said.

Littlefoot answered by walking towards the Caverns. Everyone followed. When they got there, Chompless wasn't even aware of their presence because of the voice. They were hesitant to approach her, or even get her attention, for that matter, "What is going on?" Chomper asked quietly.

Everyone was just as confused as he was. None of them had a clue what was happening in Chompless' mind. None of them said anything for a while. Eventually, Littlefoot stepped up to the plate, "Chompless, are you okay?" he asked. And just like that, the voice stopped.

She looked at them. Then she looked around, just to make sure that she wasn't imagining that it was the real world.

He moved closer, "What happened?" he asked. She was torn as to whether or not she wanted to tell them. Half of her wanted to tell them everything, and the other half was screaming no because she herself could barely handle it. She didn't want to begin to think about how they would handle it, " **Noth…nothing. I really do not want to discuss it at this…at all. Don't ever ask about it, or tell anyone that this happened.** " she said.

They respected that, "We promise we will not say a word about what we saw. Right, guys?" Chomper said. They nodded, " **Thank you. It's just something that does not need to be spoken about.** " she said, heading further into the Caverns, "What do you think happened?" Littlefoot asked Chomper as they walked out.

He shrugged, "I don't know. My best guess would be that she just remembered a part of her life that upset her." he answered. "How bad would it have to be for her to need to clutch her head like she was?" Cera interjected.

They hadn't taken that into account, "Good point. But, whatever she remembered, she doesn't want to talk about, and she doesn't want any of us to tell anybody else about this." Ruby said.

And with that, they all left. Chompless was now sitting in a dead-end cave, contemplating the new things she didn't remember seeing before, " **All of Mom's blood was splattered and drawn onto that rock in the shape of her head. Whatever killed her must have known about me. There's no other way that message could've been for anyone else but me, myself, and I. Wait, since nothing has happened since then, that would mean…oh, no. Is that what's going to happen? I really, really hope not.** " she said to herself.

Then she heard a faint roar, followed by an even fainter chomp of a jaw. She figured it came from the Mysterious Beyond.

Then, something inside told her to go out and investigate. Any other day, she had enough sense to not get involved. But today, something was different. She got up, made her way outside. Once out, an unknown scent entered her nose, " **Something's around.** " she thought.

She walked for quite a while, through a dense forest and a swamp. But, she came upon a set of medium-sized footprints. She sniffed them, " **These footprints must belong to whatever was killed.** " she thought.

She continued on for a short while before the footprints ended, and she came upon the corpse of an adolescent Giga. It was unusually pale also, but she didn't notice this yet, " **Hmm. Wonder what killed you.** " she said to herself.

She felt a little hungry, so she decided to take a few bites while she was there, " **Waste not, want not.** " she thought. Then, she felt the ground shake ever-so-slightly, " **What was that?** " she thought.

Then, she noticed a set of larger footprints that went by the corpse. She sniffed them, but her eyes started burning, and she had to stop, " **Ow. Whatever made these smells horrible.** " she said. She then noticed the footprints were slimy.

This peaked her interest again, " **Slimy footprints that belong to a big dinosaur? Wait a second...** " she said as she thought more about the day her mother was killed.

 _After discovering her deceased mother and hearing the voice, she high-tailed it out of there. She went back to the nest, but it was completely destroyed. In its place was a giant footprint. She didn't think about this for very long because she heard heavy footsteps approaching her location._

 _She immediately ran, and the dinosaur also broke into a run. She knew this because the frequency of the footsteps increased. She ran and ran. Eventually, she came to a river and skidded to a stop. She stared at it, but she was scared to jump in. When the sound of the footprints was getting as loud as the thunder, she had to choose between jumping over the water or face the teeth._

 _She chose water._

 _She backed up a little to get a running start. She sprinted as fast as she could, and was able to get across. But, the dirt under her feet was on top of unsteady rocks, not to mention muddy, but the rocks dislodged when she landed. In turn, the ground under her gave out and she fell backward into the water._

 _She was able to stay afloat a little better than before, mainly because she had more energy, but she had no choice but to let the river take her away. Luckily, it didn't lead to any waterfalls, but she saw jagged rocks where this river met the ocean, and she could tell that they were going to impale her. Now her heart started pounding._

 _She had to get out, and quickly._

 _She looked around, and saw a log on land that was above the water. She grabbed ahold of it as she was about to pass underneath._

 _She pulled herself out of the water and had to take a moment to catch her breath. But as she was panting, she heard a creaking sound. She froze as the sound suddenly stopped, and she held her breath to listen for it._

 _Then, the log broke and fell into the water, taking her with it. She was panicking again, but she had dug her claws into the log. She didn't mean to do this, but it kept her on it least. Even if she was submerged over and over again. Eventually, she saw a big, sturdy rock sticking out from the river floor, and she tried to reach for it, only to realize her claws were stuck in the log._

 _She frantically pulled and pulled to free herself before she passed by. Luckily, the bark around her claws broke off, and she managed to catch herself on the rock right as she was about to miss it. The log kept going. She watched as it crashed into the rocks and broke into a million pieces._

 _She mustered all her remaining strength to pull herself up onto the rock, and then waited a few moments before jumping to land. The water was freezing cold, so she was shivering. As she shook herself off, she looked at the ground and saw a set of footprints identical to the ones at the nest. She sniffed them, and the scent made her eyes burn._

She looked back at the carcass, " **I wonder...** " she said, trailing off.

She cut the body open, and there was no blood gushing out, And none inside, or anywhere near the body. Now, she looked around the area for anything else.

All of a sudden, a log came swinging down and would've hit her had she not jumped out of the way.

What she didn't expect was another log to swing down exactly where she jumped. It hit her in the back, carried her, and then threw her off once it was at the peak of its arc. She miraculously landed on all fours, and the smell of blood was extremely strong right there.

She gasped quietly, and slowly looked up. Ahead of her, there was a tree with most of the bark gone, and it had a skull & crossbones drawn in blood. The only thing was, the skull was shaped like hers. And there was a message, " **'You know what's coming.'** " she read in her thoughts.

This got her really scared, " **No. No, no, no, no.** " she said, backing away. The blood was still running down the tree, indicating that it was very fresh. Then the voice in her head returned, " _...to see my family, taken._ " she was able to ignore it this time, but then she heard it for real, "You know what we did. It's your turn." it said.

For some reason, she decided to respond, " **Why? Why did you do it?** " The voice did answer, "Why? You don't have the faintest comprehension of how many lives she took away from me. She was marked for death as soon as she crossed the line." they said.

Chompless spoke again, " **Really? If that's the case, then what did I do? Why am I next?** "

The voice responded, "You? You have done nothing. But I'm not taking any risks by letting you live. You can't escape us. We'll always find you. We will make sure that you will not live to take anyone's life." they said.

She wasn't going to stop there.

" **I have no interest in taking anyone's life unless they give me a valid reason to. Which you are.** "

The voice replied quickly, "See what I mean? You want to kill me."

She was outraged, but she didn't let it show in her voice, " **I'm not interested in killing you. You're making me want to kill you because you're threatening my life. In which case, I will kill out of self-defense. There's a difference between the kind of killing you're talking about and self-defense. But you obviously don't seem to know that.** "

The voice continued, "Your mother and your father both were as vicious as their predecessors. Killing anything besides each other and their children sight. You are no different from your parents, and they were no different than their parents. Your whole species has been exactly the same since they first came into existence. Nothing is ever going to change that."

Chompless was quite offended, " **Don't go judging someone before you know them. If you ever gain the courage to face me, I'll show you how I really am.** " she said.

"My thoughts exactly. But just to be safe, we're going to take some precautions. See you around. All around!" they said.

Chompless decided that she had had enough and started to get out of there. However, as she ran between two towering oak trees, there was a snare set.

This caught her completely off-guard, " **Wha!** " she yelled as it flipped her over.

Now she was hanging upside-down. But as if that wasn't bad enough, something hit her on the back of the head and rendered her unconscious.

Then, the voice spoke again, "Now, we take her." they said. They walked to her and grabbed her, but she was just a little too heavy to carry, "You carry her, Nickie." they said.

Then a large dinosaur emerged from the forest and lowered itself down to the ground to allow them to place Chompless on its back.

Then it stood back up, "I imagine when she wakes up, you may have to… ( _Clears throat_ ) …convince her to listen. Otherwise...she will need to be disposed of." they said, walking back with the dinosaur.

It then looked at them…

…with all six eyes, and a sinister smile on its face.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Rescue?**

Back home, Chomper was at the watering hole, getting ready to go to sleep. But as he was lapping away, his stomach tightened up and he got a feeling that something was wrong, "Something's not right. Something is definitely not right." he thought.

This feeling was about Chompless. He began sniffing the air intently. He didn't smell anything unusual there, so he went to the last place she was.

Up in the Caverns, Ruby was snoozing away, so he was careful not to disturb her. Then he heard something else sniffing. He looked at the entrance, and saw Spike standing there, "Spike? What are you doing here?" he whispered. Spike sniffed the air again, and Chomper got the idea, "You got the same feeling I do?"

Spike nodded, "Sniff around. See what you can find, but please don't wake Ruby." Chomper said quietly. He nodded again.

Chomper sniffed around some more, and he got Chompless' scent. Spike did, too, "She was here… ( _Both follow trail_ )…but she got up and left. She went this way, went through the Caverns… ( _Sniffs again_ ) …and she went…outside…" Chomper said as he and Spike actively followed her trail. When they were outside, they saw big silhouettes sitting down. He and Spike looked at each other, "This is troublesome." Chomper said. Spike nodded.

Chomper kept sniffing, but he realized that the silhouettes were just his parents and Redclaw.

He was going to try to sneak past them, but, for one, he knew they would smell them. But also, since the trail led him & Spike outside, and her scent kept going further out, he figured they should get all the help they could, just in case something happened.

He walked to them, coaxing a scared Spike as well, " **Chomper, where have you been these past few days?** ( _Notices_ _Spike_ ) **And who is that Spiketail?** " his mother said.

He briefly explained, " **That's Spike. He's one of my Flattooth friends. But, me, Chompless, and the other Flatteeth that came out here? Me and them accidentally ran inside the Valley in search of safety from a Whirling Wind a couple of days ago. Needless to say, she was spotted by the adults, but the elders discussed the matter of her staying the next day. Thankfully, they ultimately decided to let her. That's where me and my friends have been. But, I have a problem that I need your help with.** " he said.

Both his parents exchanged glances with each other, then they looked back to him, " **What's wrong?** " she asked.

He explained the situation, " **Chompless, last I saw her, she was in the Caverns, where Ruby and I sleep. But, I recently noticed that she wasn't there. I went there and we discovered that her scent led out here. I'm concerned that she might be in trouble.** "

Both of them started sniffing the air. Redclaw did, too. They all got the same thing, " **You're right. She came from inside and went past here, out that way. I know how much she means to you, so we'll help you find her. You want to come with, Zyra?** " his father said. She nodded, and they stood up.

Redclaw did, also, " **I'll come, too.** " he said. They all looked at him, " **Why? We're perfectly capable of protecting our son.** " Zyra said.

Redclaw looked further outside, " **I'm aware of this.** **But T** **hud and Screech went out hunting, and they probably won't be back for a while. Besides, right now I've got nothing to do.** " he said. They decided that the more teeth, the better, " **What if they get back here before us?** " Chomper asked.

" **If I'm not here by the time they get back, they'll search for me. They won't stop unless they find me.** " he answered. They realized that they had no real reason to prevent him from coming, so they let him.

And with that, they went off.

Well, most of them did. Spike refused to go any further into the Mysterious Beyond, ultimately going back inside.

The four walked until the found the message on the tree, "That's…that's the same shape as Chompless' head. ( _Notices words underneath_ ) 'You know what's coming.'" Chomper thought.

They sniffed but found that her scent seemed to end right there, " **Search the area. She must be around here somewhere.** " Chomper said.

They all nodded and started searching in different places around them. None of them found anything until Redclaw saw the snare, '" **I found this unusual vine.** " he said.

They all looked at it, " **I don't know if that's related or not, but we don't have enough to go by yet. Let's keep searching and see if we can find anything else.** " Zyra said. They all kept looking around. Chomper was on the lookout for any footprints around the area.

He did find some, but there were two sets. One set belonged to a large dinosaur, the others to an unknown creature, " **I found footprints. Over here.** " he said. They all came and looked, " **Those look like the footprints of a Hairy Bothtooth** ( _Neanderthal_ ) **. But, it was walking with this dinosaur. It seems like—and I'm just guessing here—that this one was with a Sharptooth, and a big one at that, and walked with it…somewhere.** " Chomper's father said.

Zyra sniffed both sets of footprints. " **The footprints do belong to a Hairy Bothtooth, and the other set belongs to…** ( _Sniffs again to confirm_ ) **…some large Sharptooth. Whatever made these is far bigger than me or your father. But, there's a third scent. Its...your friend, Chomper.** " she said.

Chomper then got concerned, and his father could tell this, " **Judging by the footprints, the Bothtooth and dinosaur went…** ( _Follows prints with eyes_ ) **...that way.** " he said. Then they all headed that direction.

As they were about halfway there, though, they heard a multitude of roars emanate far ahead. They seemed to be in pain or fighting, but sounds could only tell them so much. Not enough to tell what was happening ahead, but the only way they would run is if they heard Chompless.

* * *

In a cave, a few more hours later, Chompless began to regain consciousness. The first thing she noticed, other than where she was, was that there was a campfire set up in front of her, with a Compy hanging above it.

The next thing she noticed was that there were 3 Big Biters ( _Utahraptor_ ) opposite her, two sleeping. The third was sitting down watching the Compy. It looked at her and gave a growl that was intended to be friendly, but she thought was hostile. She got up and snarled. This got the other two Utahs to wake up, and they went into defensive mode.

The third one was still idly sitting down. Then, one tried to pounce on her, but her instincts kicked in and she tail-smacked it into the wall. The other one looked at their friend and was distracted. Chompless took advantage and pounced on it.

She was about to kill it, but then there was a loud whistle that got her attention. Then a Hairy Bothtooth wearing cloth armor walked in and gave the two Raptors an order, " **Fege! Nesled!** " they said, pointing to their left and right.

The other Raptor stopped and sat on the right. Chompless got a feeling and got off the other Raptor. It growled at her, but left her alone and went to the left. Then she focused on the Bothtooth, "You'll have to excuse those two. They don't very much like newcomers." they said calmly.

She cocked her head, " **Who are you?** " she asked. "Oh, my mistake. I would've told you before, but you were out like a torch. I am Milo." he said, almost bowing.

She was quite surprised that the Utahs obeyed him, " **Those Big Biters listen to you?** " she queried. He raised a brow, "No, they don't. ( _Chompless gets a confused look on her face_ ) Of course they listen to me. Otherwise, they would have ripped me to shreds and tried to do the same to you. And, in truth, they do more than just listen to me. They just about worship me. I freed them from Tyranto's control, and they are forever grateful." he said.

" **May I ask, who is this Tyranto? I've heard the name a couple of times before, but I've wondered who he is.** "

Milo cocked his head, "You don't know? How do you not know who he is?"

She shrugged, " **I've been living under a rock my whole life.** " she replied. He gestured for her to sit down, which she did, and he sat on the opposite side of the fire, "He has quite a history, just so you know." he informed her. She just wanted to know.

"It started years ago, most likely before your time. We humans had faced problems with carnivores, like yourself. The Chieftains, what we call leaders of each tribe, met up to discuss these issues. Into the midst of it came two strangers from a strange place. A man and a woman. The man was covered in scars and was draped in a cloak of Raptor skin. He carried no weapon, and spoke softly. The woman with him he said was his wife. He said that he was Tyranto. He said he was a man of the people. Devoted to freeing mankind from the tyranny of carnivores. He claimed he alone could control the carnivores and he alone could keep us safe…if…we chose to bow down and follow him. Me and the others laughed because we couldn't take them seriously. We laughed and laughed until he turned around and cried out, 'Then see how well you do without me!' We saw him get on the back of a Carno with his wife before the rooftop suddenly broke into pieces. And from it, armored pterosaurs descended, killing almost everyone there. Me and my brother, Ezekiel, were the only ones to escape." he said.

She was shocked that anyone could even think about doing such a thing, but Milo wasn't done, "We struggled to gain new members to our tribe. No one believed that we were strong. Some did join, but there weren't enough of us to fend off even a single Raptor attacking us. But, one tribemate we got had a Raptor tamed. I asked how he did it, and he said that it was quite simple. Don't make yourself appear as a threat to them, and feed them. I did, and that's how I have these two. Only then, did others take us seriously and want to join in." he said.

" **Why does Tyranto want Sharpteeth?** " she queried. Milo sighed, "When he was young, a King of Sharpteeth killed his entire family. Since then, he has wanted revenge on all carnivores and he wants to wipe them off the face of this world."

" **Really? Gathering them in large numbers is kind of counterintuitive.** " she said. Milo agreed, "I know. Some have tried to reason with him and change his mind about them, but almost all of them have perished. He has a dinosaur that can control the minds of any carnivore. They cannot physically resist her command."

* * *

They followed the footprints to a relatively small canyon that led to a dead end. At the mouth of it, laid two dead Giganotosauruses. One had their head slashed beyond comprehension, the other had one leg torn off—although it was nowhere to be found—and its throat had been completely cut open. They ignored the bodies and continued inside. There were 2 dead Allos, one Spino, a couple of T-Rexes, and two Albertosauruses awaiting them, " **What happened here? It's like those mass graves, but not nearly as much Sharpteeth are dead in this instance.** " Zyra said.

They noticed two dead herbivores, also. One was an Iguanodon, the other a Longclaw ( _Therizinosaurus_ ), " **There are Flatteeth here…among the Sharpteeth? That's...very, very unusual.** " Redclaw thought. Then they saw a bunch of thatch structures and a campfire that had a hunk of meat hanging above it, but it was long burnt. There were also a few sharpened sticks stuck inside some of these structures, " **Seems like there was a fight.** " Chomper's father said.

Redclaw looked around and saw something on one of the rocks. It was blood—from one of the Albertos because one was right next to it—but there was another scent that he recognized, " **I think I've found your friend's scent. But something else was near her as she went…** ( _Sniffs again_ ) **…that way.** " he said, looking north.

Chomper's father came over and sniffed the area, too. Then he saw more footprints, but they had a drag mark next to them, " **I have a feeling that she** **may have been unconscious and another Hairy Bothtooth was next to her, because there's this large drag mark, and those footprints go right alongside it. It seems that someone may have taken her. I imagine that they're probably not going to give her up without a fight. Let's find them.** " he said with a snarl.

Zyra stopped him, " **Hadel, slow down. Perhaps whoever has Chomper's friend may be trying to help her. I agree with you. There seemed to be a fight, and his friend was clearly here. But, considering that I don't see her body means she must have made it out. But because of the other scent, we know someone was near her. But because she was unconscious, and the scent doesn't change, I feel she is still alive and whoever has her may be trying to protect her. You can have your own opinions, but that's mine.** " she said.

He didn't say anything back, and they started heading north.

* * *

She kept asking questions, " **How does he get Sharpteeth to listen to him? Is it the same way you do?** "

Milo shook his head, "No. Not even close. For me, I am gentle with the dinosaurs as I feed them, and slowly gain their loyalty and trust. Him? He beats them into submission. He yells and swings his spear around, which will usually get smaller things like Raptors to give in."

" **Question, what's a spear?** " Milo then showed her a large stick with a sharpened end, "This is a spear. We humans don't exactly have claws or sharp teeth like you and other dinosaurs, and we don't have much defense, so we have to improvise to survive. We sharpen sticks, such as this, and throw them at attacking dinosaurs. It usually pierces their skin."

That made her remember when Chomper had to pull one out of her, " **What about larger dinosaurs? I don't imagine that they'd be** ** **influenced** so easily.**"

"Larger creatures usually are insubordinate. So as he does his thing, he hits them over and over, cutting them repeatedly. Most of the time, then they understand that he will kill them and they give in. On the rarest of occasions, though, that's not enough and he brings out Nickie." he said.

Chompless' curiosity peaked, " **Who is Nickie?** " she queried. He sighed heavily, "A walking carcass. She is an abomination that shouldn't be alive. He calls her species the Dermato...something. But we just call her species a 'Derma'. Anyway, her skin, for whatever reason, is always in a necrotic state, which means it is actively rotting. But, at the same time, it is regenerating. Because of this, she sheds her skin very, very often. And, if you see any of it on the ground, do not eat it. It will cause all your vascular system to fail completely, and then you die. Other than that, she is a mind-controller. She looks another dinosaur in the eyes, and she can change its will and force it to follow her command, although she is still under Tyranto's."

Chompless then pictured this mind-controlling ability, " **That's what happened to Chomper's dad.** ( _To Milo_ ) **Can she control any dinosaur?** " Milo thought, and shook his head, "No. Nickie can only control carnivores. If the dinosaur doesn't strictly eat meat, she can't do anything with it. But, with her mind control, she can also control a dinosaur directly. For example, she can force a dinosaur to jump off a cliff, or kill itself, which it wouldn't do otherwise. Nobody knows how she's able to do this, but either way, she must be avoided."

" **But…wouldn't it be better if she dies? Tyranto would be powerless without her.** " she said. Milo shook his head again, "Believe me, many others have attempted to kill her, but they've all perished because of the reinforcements she calls in. She's never alone. She's either with Tyranto or with other dinos like Carnos when he's not around. And, on top of that, she doesn't respond to pain. She did a few months ago, but all of a sudden, she doesn't. Not to mention, she will make her skin regenerate faster."

" **Oh.** " Then she focused on something she wanted to ask before, but she asked other questions, " **I've been meaning to ask this, but I got distracted. I was knocked out while hanging upside-down in the forest. And now I'm here. Care to explain?** "

Milo got right to it, "Well, Ezekiel was out gathering food when he saw you hanging in a snare. Quick thing, he is a dinosaur freak. Everything that there is to know about them, he knows. But, he didn't recognize your species, so he got curious. But Tyranto set a trap and got to you first. He tried to carry you, but apparently, you were too heavy, so he had Nickie carry you on her back. Ezekiel followed them as they took you to a canyon where some of his dinosaurs were gathered. Ezekiel wanted to get you for study, so he called in his reinforcements, which were a few Giganotosauruses, and two Albertosauruses. He had them attack, and one Utah came with him while the fighting was going on. He had it carry you out of there. All the dinos on his side knew that they were going to die, and they were willing to give their lives in order to allow him to rescue you. Of course, they did die, except for one of the Albertos, but we have yet to find him. But, when Ezekiel brought you here, he was baffled by your body structure. He was thinking about putting you in a cage, but I told him that wouldn't give off a very friendly feel. So he brought you here to learn everything about you."

Chompless looked around, " **Where is he now?** " Milo pointed to the mouth of the cave, "He went out to gather food. He told me to keep an eye on you. These three wanted to come in case you were aggressive."

" **Hmm. If he didn't know what I am, shouldn't he have been afraid of me?** " she queried. Milo shook his head, "Probably not. He's a crazy individual. He'll jump into a river and wrangle Kaprosuchus like it's nobody's business. He saw you, and, he told me he was afraid, but he had to know what you were. He should be coming back soon. Oh, and you should expect him to be looking at you very closely." he said.

She was used to this, as no one else knew what she was…for the most part. Then, one of the Raptors picked up a scent and let Milo know, "What is it?" he said, getting up and standing next to it.

It bit forward—its way of pointing—and Milo looked there. He saw 4 Rexes. Three adults, one adolescent. Chompless smelled them, too, and came over. She recognized them, " **Those are my friends.** ( _To self_ ) **You just had to, Chomper. You just had to follow me.** " she thought.

She told Milo to hold back, and keep his Raptors out of their sight, " **If they see one of these, they will try to protect me.** " Milo nodded and ordered his Raptors to the back of the cave.

Chompless walked out and pretended like she was wandering aimlessly. Eventually, Chomper spotted her, "There she is!"

They all looked at her, and she looked at them. Chomper ran up to her, but he tripped over a concealed root, tumbled a few times before colliding into her, knocking her off her feet. When they both came to a stop, Chomper ended up on top of her, "Whoops. Sorry." he apologized.

She wasn't too bothered, " **It's alright. Oh, it is so good to see you. I thought I was completely lost.** " she said.

While she was on her side, a man dragging a Raptor carcass was passing by, but he saw the three adults looking at her, and Chomper on top, he gasped. When he did, all of them looked at him. Chompless' eyes widened and she quietly gasped, " **Oh no.** " she thought. She had a feeling who the man was, but she wasn't completely sure.

She did not see him as a threat, but she was sure the adults would.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

As she expected, the adults went over to him. Chompless could tell by the fact that he was dragging a carcass, and by his scent that it was Ezekiel, " **If they kill him…I don't want to imagine how Milo will react.** " she thought.

They looked at him, but, other than that, they were very idle. As Chompless was opening her mouth to speak, Ezekiel bolted to her, " **No!** " she thought. He tried pushing her towards the cave. He didn't make much progress.

"Come on, move! They're going to kill you!" he said. She was contemplating how they'd react if she protecting him, " **No, they'll only kill you.** " she said to him, quietly. He looked her in the eye, " **Get away from her!** " Chomper yelled, running towards him. He looked at Chomper, and as he was about to pummel into him, Ezekiel put his hand up, which for some reason, made Chomper skid to a stop.

Then Ezekiel tilted his hand to the left and Chomper's head mirrored it. Then he moved it to the side, and somehow he made Chomper fall onto his side, but he couldn't get back up, "Little Rex. You could come in handy." he said. He aggravated the adults put putting his hand near Chomper's throat, " **He's going to kill Chomper!** " Zyra yelled to her mate. They both charged, and Chompless decided that she had to protect Ezekiel.

She walked in front of him, " **Leave him alone.** " she said loudly, yet firmly. They skidded to a stop, confused by her actions, " **Why are you protecting him? He was trying to kill Chomper!** " Hadel said.

She shook her head, " **No, he wasn't.** " she said, glancing back at him. He smiled slightly, " **How would you know? You don't know who he is.** " Zyra argued.

" **Yes, I do. This is Ezekiel. His brother, Milo, told me everything about him, and what happened to me. He is in that cave over there.** ( _Gestures with head_ )" she said. They all looked where she was looking, and he waved sheepishly. Then Ezekiel walked beside her and talked to them.

Of course, as Milo had said, Ezekiel knew more about dinosaurs than anyone, and he knew how to speak their language, " **I know that I appeared as a threat to her, and…to your son, but I am not. For the most part, I cannot bring myself to kill any living creature. This instance was no different. I had no intentions of hurting your son or her. In all honesty, I thought you were going to kill her, so I was trying to protect her.** "

" **Why? What about her makes you want to protect her?** " Zyra queried.

" **I don't recognize her species.** " he answered. They didn't believe that for a second, " **If you don't know what kind of dinosaur she is, you should've instinctively avoided her.** " Hadel said.

" **I have never seen her or other dinosaurs like her before. I saved her so I could be able to learn everything there is to know about her.** " he said.

They were completely confused by that, " **If you come to the cave, my brother will explain everything.** " he said. The 2 looked at each other and decided if Chompless trusted them, they should, too, " **Fine. We'll listen to what this Milo has to say.** " Hadel said.

Chomper was still on his side, and also still unable to get up. Ezekiel put his hand on Chomper's leg and planted it on the ground, "You can stand up, now." he said. Chomper then was able to get himself up, "How did you...do that?" he asked.

"It's a trick I learned a long time ago. I typically use it on Raptors to stop them from attacking me. I know a lot of tricks with dinosaurs. Secrets, if you will, that the dinosaurs themselves don't even know."

Chomper was curious about the things Ezekiel could do, he didn't feel that it was important to ask exactly what he could do, so he said nothing.

They went to the cave, the 2 Utahraptors that Chompless dealt with appeared, and the adults just looked at them, " **Don't mind those two. They don't like new people. Or dinosaurs in this instance.** ( _To Raptors_ ) **Fegle!** " Ezekiel said. The Utahs stepped behind him.

The adults weren't threatened by the Utahs in the slightest. It would've been Chomper they worried about. They sat down outside of the cave (B _ecause they were too big to fit inside_ ) and Milo told them the same things he told Chompless.

By the end, they were more afraid of Tyranto himself than Nickie, " **That's who controls that thing?** ( _Nods with equal emotion_ ) **We've seen this 'Derma' before. It…controlled me and made me essentially hunt for my son, who had hidden in a corpse to avoid this. But there was a female with the dinosaur. And when I couldn't find Chomper, she told Nickie to let me free, before they left and I felt myself again.** " Hadel said.

Ezekiel raised a brow, " **The female is Tyranto's wife, Britasha. Sometimes he likes to send her and Nickie off to typically gather more carnivores while he tends to the young ones. On the surface, Tyranto, Britasha can seem very gentle. Actually, even Nickie can seem gentle, at least with those she affiliates as 'friends' and 'family.' But, usually, neither Tyranto nor Britasha makes Nickie let a carnivore, like yourselves, free. There must be something about you they haven't seen in any other carnivore. Otherwise, you would've become enslaved like the rest. Or maybe they thought you were useless. But usually, when that's the case, they'd kill you just to make sure you don't get in the way.** "

Chomper spoke up, "Well when I saw this thing—before my father fell under its control—it stared at me. It never seemed like it tried to control me."

Ezekiel looked at him, impressed, "How old are you?" he queried. While Chomper felt strange answering the question, but still did, "My 14th star-day was a few weeks before I discovered Chompless."

Ezekiel asked him another question, "How long have you been able to speak? Our language, I mean."

"Uh…about…9 coldtimes. I taught myself." he answered. Ezekiel was even more impressed, "Okay, but, correct me if I'm wrong, but, did you say Nickie didn't control you?"

Chomper nodded, "Is that surprising?" he asked. Ezekiel nodded back, "Very. Nickie takes control of young carnivores without hesitation and calls either Tyranto or Britasha over. And they convince the carnivores that they were 'destined' to join their army. The young carnivores have no knowledge to decline, and they still can't resist even if they wanted to. So, that means that there's something about you that perhaps scares Nickie. That's the only reason I can imagine that she didn't control you." he said.

Chomper thought about that, "Me…scaring Nickie? As much as I'd like for that to be true, I don't think it is. How could I, a small, essentially harmless Sharptooth, scare a creature as dangerous as she is? That makes no sense." he said to himself. Then, Redclaw interjected, " **I hope you don't mind me asking, but, does this have anything to do with us?** "

Milo & Ezekiel both looked at him, " **Right this moment, no. But recently he has been more active in gathering carnivores, and they are all under threat. Given enough time, he will find you and take you.** " Milo said. Hadel & Zyra looked at each other, then they thought about Chomper's friends, " **What about Flatteeth?** " Zyra asked.

He glanced to her, " **Herbivores? They're in more danger than the carnivores.** "

Both of them looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes, and then looked at Chomper, expecting a reaction.

The sentence took a minute to completely register in his head, but eventually, it clicked, "WHAT?" he almost yelled. Ezekiel understood his shock, "The herbivores—he says to them—that he will give them protection from all carnivores if they choose to listen to everything he says and do everything he tells them to do. Usually, they accept because he hides all his carnivores and makes himself appear friendly and honest. I mean, he does protect them, but up to a point. They make a bad decision, he leaves them to face the consequences. They slow him down, he has a carnivore kill them." he explained.

Then, Chomper got a gut-tightening thought, "What if they choose not to listen to him?" he hesitantly asked. Ezekiel looked at him.

"He kills them…"

There was no euphemism in his words. Chomper just about froze in shock, " **What happened to him that made him like this?** " Hadel asked.

" **An Indom destroyed his village and ate his entire family right in front of him.** " Milo answered.

" **What's an 'Indom'?** " Chomper asked. The word "Indom" made Chompless have a flashback

 _Just days after her mother's murder, she was left on her own. She'd spent most of her time hiding in a tree from predators. In fact, most of her time was generally spent up in a tree. She slept and ate up in them. Food was hard to find. Well, it was very easy to find, but hard to get. She was relatively inexperienced, and most of her food—which was typically smaller lizards—heard her coming and bolted before she could catch them._

 _One day, while she was drinking from a lake, she looked at herself in the water. She saw her mother looking back at her. She couldn't help but cry. Unnoticed to her was that a Giga had seen her and was moving in to kill. She heard it rustling in the foliage, but she didn't think it was anything to be concerned about, so she continued crying._

 _She saw the Giga's teeth for a split-second before it charged from the brush. She panicked and froze. Right as it was about to hit her, another dinosaur came from the left and rammed into it, sending it head-first into a tree. The Giga shook the debris off itself before getting back up. It looked at Chompless and tried to attack her again. The dino that saved her stood in between her and it._

 _The Giga tried to move to the left, then the right. The dino mirrored it. The Giga then tried to juke it out. It started to go right, then ran left. The dino swung its claws the other way and made a cut the length of the Giga. It winced in pain and fell over again. It got up once again and now decided to target the dino because it knew it was protecting Chompless._

 _It ran straight at it, which it lowered down slightly, and then the Giga ran to the right to bite its leg. The dino swung its head that way and knocked the Giga into the water. It then kicked the Giga further in, piercing its side and staining the water around it red. The water was deeper and it was forced to swim, but it couldn't. The dino waited a minute before grabbing the Giga out of the after and putting its foot on its head._

 _Throughout this fight, Chompless was astonished that this dinosaur saved her. The dino spoke to the Giga, which responded weakly. Chompless couldn't understand what they said, but the dino took its foot off the Giga. Then the Giga got up and limped away as fast as it could. Then the dino roared victoriously as the Giga went back into the trees. Then it turned to her._

 _It was a King of Sharptooth, but she had no way of knowing that. She was scared, but something told her not to run._

 _It got down to her level and looked at her very closely. She felt slightly uncomfortable, but she couldn't exactly make it stop if she wanted to. Then it raised its head and spoke to her, "_ ** _You are in grave danger. You must be careful._** _"_

 _She had no clue what it meant, and, since she spoke her own language, she had no way to ask what it meant. It realized that she was hungry, and it sighed before cutting off a piece of flesh from its own back. She was shocked that any dinosaur would self-mutilate, for one, but do this and then give its flesh to something else for them to eat._

 _She could tell there was something very unusual about this King. She took note of its appearance. It had a mostly-black body with blue streaks going vertically, and a blue underbelly. It knew she was staring at it, but it didn't mind. Then she heard someone say, "Hello? Are you there?"_

She was then tapped on the shoulder by Chomper as he said the same thing, " **Huh? What?** " she said, quickly looking around. Chomper had her look at him, "Why did you get so quiet?" he asked.

Chompless realized the voice she heard was his and not part of the original memory, " **Sorry. I just phased out for a minute. What were we talking about?** " she asked. " **I was explaining to your friends what an Indom was. Would you like me to explain it to you?** " Milo answered.

She thought about this, " **Yes, please.** " she replied.

" **An Indom, what us humans call a… 'King of Sharptooth.' From those who have been able to get close enough to study and live to tell the tale, it is a mix of many different dinosaurs, which we call a hybrid. It does not do well with other dinosaurs, even other members of its species. They won't necessarily kill each other, but they don't like each other. They are very, very aggressive. Killing just about anything on sight, and they kill for sport. Meaning they kill, but don't eat any of the carcasses.** " he said.

He wasn't finished, but it made Chomper and his parents remember the mass graves they saw. They hadn't thought that a King of Sharptooth was responsible because they explained what they had seen, and Milo replied, " **Indoms break the necks of dinosaurs, but that's it. Maybe a few cuts elsewhere, but nothing more. But, there is one Indom that baffles even Ezekiel. Every Indom that has ever been seen is always completely white. Just about albino, which is how we describe something with almost no colors. But there is a single Indom that is black with blue, vertical streaks, and its whole underbelly is the same color as them. Ezekiel has been interested in this Indom for years, and when the opportunity to study it further comes, he goes for it. This Indom, from what he's seen, refuses to kill any living creature. Directly, at least. Even anything that attacks it, it doesn't kill. The only way he's seen it 'kill' anything is it will swallow the creature alive without chewing on it, or it throws them into a body of water and lets them drown.** "

Chompless gasped quietly, " **I…I've encountered this 'Indom' before. It was after my mother died. It saved me from a Giga.** " she said. Ezekiel moved closer and asked, " **Wait…your mother?** " he asked. She nodded and he asked her another question, " **Was she fighting something before she died?** "

She nodded again but then wondered, " **Hold on…** **How do you know what my mother was doing before she died?** "

He sighed before answering her.

" **Because I was there.** "


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: A Hidden World**

She gasped at this, " **Wha…you were THERE?** " she said. He nodded, " **Yes. But I didn't know it was your mother. I just heard something roaring** **and saw Nickie fighting something. The only reason I was there was to try to learn everything I could about her, Nickie, I mean. Her weaknesses, what she hates, stuff like that. But I didn't know what she was fighting at the time, because no dinosaur dares to even snarl at her, let alone fight her.** " he said.

" **Go on.** " she said, wanting to know.

" **I saw Nickie struggling, and something was on her face. I thought it was a Raptor, but the black body with an orange stripe, which are the same colors you have, made me think otherwise. But I was pretty sure that dino didn't stand a chance against her. I was right, and it died. But strangely, she, and I could very clearly hear this, bit into the carcass, and began sucking the blood out. I only know this because I can hear all of the different sounds when blood is naturally coming out of a body, and I heard none of those** **sounds.** " he said.

Chompless gasped quietly, " **That explains why mom's carcass had no blood in it.** " she said to herself. Ezekiel continued, " **I would've gone over after she left to see what had the courage to fight her, but apparently you came along because I heard rustling in the foliage close to me and I left. But, as I was heading back, I saw a painting—made from blood—on a rock wall. It was the shape of a skull the likes of which I hadn't seen before.** " he said.

That image, seeing her mother's blood on the rock briefly entered her mind, before she pushed it aside for the moment, " **Now, focusing on the Indom. You said that it saved you from a Giga?** " he queried. " **Yes. The Indom threw it into a lake that I was drinking from beforehand, and I thought it was going to drown. But then it pulled it out, put its foot on the Giga's head, and I think it spoke to it.** " she answered.

Ezekiel was intrigued, " **You're sure?** ( _Nods_ ) **Do you happen to know what it said?** " he asked. She shook her head, " **No. I didn't speak Giga at that time. Or any language but my own, for that matter. Anyway, it seemed that it told the Giga to leave me alone because it let the Giga get up and walk away. Then it turned to me, and it seemed to know _my_ language. It said to me, 'You are in danger. You must be careful.' I don't know what kind of danger it meant, and I still don't know, and I don't know if I will. But since then, I haven't seen any other Indoms, or that same one.**" she said.

Ezekiel sighed, " **Oh. I was just about to ask if you knew where he might be, but now I have to keep wondering.** " he said.

* * *

Littlefoot was just sleeping peacefully, dreaming about eating Hard Water Sweets, when that quickly changed to something else.

 _After grabbing some of the tasty food, he heard heavy footsteps approaching. Then a shadow was cast over him. And he could hear heavy breathing. He froze right there, some grapes still hanging out of his mouth. He refused to turn around, or move at all, for that matter. Then he heard a voice, "Turn around, Littlefoot."_

 _He hesitated but turned. Looking down at him was the King of Sharptooth that protected him before, "How do you know my name?" he asked it. It lowered its head down to his level, "I've been watching you. Ever since you fell into our home, I've had an interest in you." it replied._

 _Littlefoot felt slightly creeped out, "What do you mean 'your home?'" he queried._

 _The King pointed to the dry watering hole, "Down there." it answered. Littlefoot pictured the King living in that cave, but he couldn't, "How could you possibly survive down there? All you have access to is water. You don't have any food down there." he said._

 _The King smiled slightly, "That's where you're wrong. If you want an answer to your question, I can't give you one. If you really want to know, you're going to have to figure it out for yourself." it replied._

 _Littlefoot realized that that topic wasn't getting him very far, so he asked something else, "Why are you here?" he said._ _"You're dreaming. In the real world, there will be a sign for you_ _. Either you'll know what it means, or you won't." it responded._

 _Then it walked away, and Littlefoot woke up._

As he woke up, there was a roar, which got some of the adults' attention, "What dinosaur could that have been?" Ducky's mom asked Tria.

"I don't know. It doesn't sound like any Sharptooth I've ever heard." she said. Littlefoot heard them and walked over, "How do you know that was a Sharptooth?" he asked. She looked at him, "Well, in all honesty, I don't. But it sounds like multiple Sharptooth roars combined." she answered.

Littlefoot then walked away, "Littlefoot? ( _Looks back at them_ ) Why are you awake so early?" Ducky's mom asked. He nodded, "Well, the roar woke me up. Actually, even if it didn't, I'm really hungry." he said, continuing to walk. They went back to conversing.

He felt that the roar was important, and he decided to find its origin. He was pretty sure of what made the roar, but he needed to be sure. He was walking past the hole in the river when he heard the roar again, echoing through the cave below.

"Okay. It's down there. But, do I really want to jump in? I survived before. Oh...I guess since this is the only way down there…I might as well." he said, jumping into the hole.

When he did this, he was slightly worried about the possibility of him missing the water and pancaking himself on the ground, but thankfully, that did not happen. He landed in the middle of the water before swimming to the bank. He pulled himself up and looked around.

He didn't see the King anywhere, but he saw the pseudo-dead-end. He started walking to it, but he remembered the message on the wall, "'Cleanse yourself of fear to join us in peace.' Still, don't know exactly what that means, but it might mean that I have to be brave." He thought.

He was nervous, be he shook himself and stood tall, "Be brave." he said to himself again. He walked to the dead-end and stood there. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did, "When I first came here, I read that message, and there was a bang. Maybe if I read it, something might happen again." he thought.

He read the message aloud, staying confident. There was the same bang again, but he expected it and didn't flinch this time. Then there was a low humming sound, and then the bright light appeared. It blinded him temporarily, but he dealt with it and walked forward. Once the light faded, he opened his eyes.

What he saw made his heart race.

He was in another cave, just as big as the previous one, but this particular one was completely filled with Sharpteeth.

As soon as he came in, every single one stopped what they were doing and stared at him, "Oh…I feel a bit out of place here." he said. None of them made a move to attack him. Then the wall behind him became the dead-end it was before, "I guess I can't leave, either." he thought.

Then a few Utahraptors approached him slowly. Like they were hesitant. They looked at him up and down, and he didn't let his worry show.

Then, he heard heavy footsteps and the Raptors scattered. He looked up, and saw it was the King, "Hello…" Littlefoot said sheepishly. The King lowered its head to his level, "When I said for you to find me, this isn't what I had in mind, but I suppose this works." It said.

Some Mega Teeth ( _Giganotosaurus_ ) were eyeing him with the thought of food. The King knew this and ordered them to leave, which they obeyed.

Littlefoot was surprised, "Mega Teeth listen to you?" he asked. It looked back at him, "Does the name 'King of Sharptooth' help give you an answer?" it shot back. Then he got the idea, "Oh. That makes perfect sense, now."

"Where are we, exactly?" he asked. The King started walking—making other Sharpteeth back out of its path—and it gestured for Littlefoot to follow, which he did, "Welcome to the Hidden World." it said.

Littlefoot looked around as they passed multiple different species of Sharpteeth, just doing their own things, living peacefully with each other, "How are all these Sharpteeth not killing each other? I've never seen any different kinds all in one place." he queried.

"Because food is plentiful down here, giving them no reason to kill. And if they try, I will be there to stop them. If they do it again, I'll eat them. I don't take too kindly to disruptions of our peace." it said.

Littlefoot looked around while following the King. He saw a few Gigas socializing, some Allos eating a hunk of meat, and an injured Alberto with a chunk of meat near its head, "What happened to him?" he asked.

"We're not quite sure. While some of the Different Teeth ( _Allosaurus_ ) were scouting outside, they found him, laying against a tree. They called me there, and I brought him here to heal. We're hoping he's not going to die. His injuries are pretty severe." it answered.

Then it looked down at him, "Now _I_ have a question for you. How did you manage to get in here? Other herbivores have tried before, but none have been successful on their own. The only times they got in was by following one of us. In which I forced them out." it said.

Littlefoot was expecting it to say something different, "You didn't kill them?"

The King looked back ahead, "No. Everything fears me. I've never killed anything. Even creatures that attack me, I don't bring myself to take the life of. I can kill them, but I choose not to." it replied. Littlefoot raised a brow, "So…what about swallowing that Fast Biter whole?" he said.

It stopped walking and looked at him, "That? If I'm forced to kill something, I make them die a slow, sometimes painful death, not a quick one. I'd say being digested is up on that list. But, in that case, I had to kill him because he was going to kill you. And all these others down here? No, not just us down here. All Sharpteeth across the land don't kill like your kind thinks they do. Us Sharpteeth kill because we're hungry and need to eat meat. We can't choose our diet. We don't just kill for no reason like all herbivores believe. The only times we don't kill out of hunger is if we kill in self-defense, over territory, or a female, but the latter two typically don't end with a fatality."

Littlefoot never really thought about that.

He never realized that all Sharpteeth had to eat meat because they got hungry, too, "From the moment they hatch until the day they die, they need meat. They can't choose what they eat. Because if they could, they would probably eat greenfood because it was much easier to find." he said to himself.

He also hadn't thought about self-defense. He completely understood that Sharpteeth had to defend themselves very often. There were so many things that had been told to him, for all his life, about Sharpteeth from all the adults, but he'd never thought about how they actually behaved.

He pushed this thought aside to think about at a later time. Then he opened his mouth to thank it for saving him, but it stopped him, "No need to thank me for saving your life. When I first saw you, there is something about you that I found interesting." it said.

"Well, when you're friends with two Sharpteeth, that's…" he said before he was interrupted.

"You've made friends with others?" it asked quickly. "Yes. One is a Chomping Tooth ( _Rex_ ). The other is a Mystery Tooth, who…" he began to say before the King gasped.

None of the other Sharpteeth in there spoke herbivore, but when Littlefoot said those last two words, it got all of them to stop what they were doing and look in his direction

"Mystery Tooth?" the King asked slowly. "Yes…why do you sound so surprised?" Littlefoot queried.

"Because they are the rarest dinosaur, and we've been searching for at least one of them for years. Decades, even. They are smart and devious, much more than I. Whenever one of us got close to one, they either bolted or attacked with lightning speed. The main reason we've been looking for them is that they're almost extinct, meaning almost all of their kind is dead. We want them to live among us so they don't have to fear for their lives, or their children's, if we can find two." it said.

That made sense to Littlefoot, "How'd you find her and how did you become friends with her?" it asked again. Littlefoot was wondering if he actually wanted to tell them, but he figured that he had no valid reason not to tell them. He said yes, and the King said something in Sharptooth that got all the others to gather around.

And Littlefoot began, "Well, I was outside the Great Valley and it was pouring Skywater, I could barely see anything because of the Water Cloud, and I had an injured foot."

He didn't say anything about how he got the injury, but continued, "I was looking for another way back inside because the way I came out collapsed, but I was walking around the walls before I got cornered by a Fast Biter. I think it was about to kill me, but there was rustling in the trees, and it was apparently enough to scare it away. I heard scratching and then a thud, telling me something fell out of a tree. Then something came running past me but tripped over my tail. And that's when I saw the colors of it. My grandpa told me about his encounter with a Mystery Tooth when he was my age, and what they looked like, so I knew it was another one just by the colors. When she saw me, she seemed very timid. I was scared, but I noticed she had twisted her ankle and had skinned her other leg horribly. I approached her, and she quickly ran away, but not for long. I went to resume walking when she came back. She seemed as curious about me as much as I was of her. But her leg gave out and she seemed close to death. Out of the good of my heart, I decided to help her. She let me, and she has gained trust for me, as I have for her. Although, she doesn't share much of her past life. But it was just me meeting her outside every night because she's a nighttime Sharptooth and I brought her swimmers from a nearby river every night. Then my other Sharptooth friend followed me outside and discovered her. Then another friend, this one a Threehorn, followed us out and almost got killed by her."

The King translated this to the rest, "What is her name?" it said. "We don't know her real name, but I started calling her 'Chompless' because she was very patient when I first brought her food, even though she was starving to death."

* * *

" **I also think the Indom could tell that I was hungry that day.** " she said.

" **What makes you think that?** " Ezekiel asked. " **Because it cut off a piece of its flesh and let me eat it.** " she answered. Both Milo and Ezekiel gasped and looked at each other. " **You're sure of this?** " Milo asked.

She nodded, " **Hmm. That's a very unusual thing for an Indom to do. Cut itself, for one, but to feed their flesh to something else? That I have never heard of, or even imagined. That Indom is far more unique than I thought. In all the years I've observed him, he's never done anything remotely like that. Although to be fair, usually he doesn't save any creature if they're being attacked by another dinosaur. He must know how rare your species is.** " Ezekiel said.

Now she wondered, " **How do you know it's a 'he'?** " she queried. " **I can tell you a lot of things I know for sure when I see a dinosaur. I could tell just by looking at him that he was a male.** " he briefly explained. Chompless wasn't completely sure about that, " **Okay, but how do you tell male female dinosaurs apart?** " she asked again.

" **It's simple, really. Male dinosaurs, especially carnivores, tend to have brighter skin colors. To attract a female. But, in the case of the Indoms, all are white except him, so I couldn't use that. I had to identify his gender another way. Male carnivores' bellies tend to be a little distended compared to females. Typically because they tend to eat more. Distended in this case means that their stomachs hang further down, but only slightly. I've seen many female Indoms—which are the definition of crazy—and their stomachs aren't as distended.** "

Now, Chomper wanted to know more about this particular King, " **Where did this King of Sharptooth come from? I mean…uh…where and when did you first see him?** " he asked.

Ezekiel had to think because he'd been studying this King for a long time, " **First time I saw him was about…8 years ago. I only wanted to study him because of his unique skin colors. I didn't know his behavior was so unique in comparison to other Indoms. Or any carnivore, for that matter.** " he said.

* * *

The King wanted to know more, as did the others, "Really? Where is she now?" it asked. "She's probably wandering the Valley. As I said before, she's a nighttime Sharptooth. She lives in a network of caves which we call the Secret Caverns. Her, Chomper, the Chomping Tooth, and his Fast Runner friend, Ruby, sleep there." he replied. The King didn't say anything to him in reply.

It spoke to the rest of the Sharpteeth, and they seemed to be discussing something because certain ones and the King were growling back and forth. Littlefoot wished that Chomper or Ruby was there to translate what they were saying.

Eventually, their conversation ended, and the Sharpteeth that were talking with the King nodded at it before heading further ahead and disappearing around a corner.

"What were you talking about?" Littlefoot asked. It looked down at him, "I told them to go outside and scout. We don't want to take any risks." it said. As soon as that was out of its mouth, it realized that could've been taken a different way. Littlefoot's expression changed to one of worry.

"My apologies. That didn't come out right. I mean that word about your friend's presence will spread eventually. There is a lurking threat out there, in what you call the Mysterious Beyond. They may already know about her and may be planning to harm her. I'm sending guards out to watch out in case they ever show up. If they do, the guards will ensure that your friend and all in the Valley are safe" it clarified.

Littlefoot reeled back slightly at that, "You're sending Sharpteeth to watch a place for Flatteeth? If any of them are seen by anyone, the adults will think they're trying to find a way inside to kill _us_." he said.

The King shook its head, "No, they won't. Trust me, I know what I'm doing. You have no idea the danger you can come across. You're going to need all the help you can get."

Littlefoot wondered what it meant by that, but he didn't think to ask. "Now, you should probably be getting back home to your folks." it said.

Littlefoot agreed, "That'd probably be a good idea." he said, walking back where he came from. The King put its tail in front of him, "Just where do you think you're going?" it queried. Littlefoot turned back to it, "Um…out the way I came." he said.

The King shook its head again, "No. You don't have to go through the trouble of getting that Flyer to carry you out."

"But, that's the only way." he replied. The King moved its tail and pointed to where the Sharpteeth had walked, "Follow them. They will know why I had you join them and they will lead you out. Oh, one thing. When you leave, you can tell your folks about his place, but make sure that word doesn't spread elsewhere. We don't need our home to be known by anyone outside the Valley, otherwise… ( _Picks teeth_ ) whoever tells will have to deal with these." it said.

Before this, Littlefoot was unsure whether he wanted to say anything, but after it said that, he _really_ didn't want to tell anyone. The reason being that he was afraid someone would accidentally tell a Far Walker and it'd spread from there, or someone would accidentally mention it and someone else would overhear it.

Or there was a chance it wouldn't spread at all, but since he didn't want to take the chance of anyone getting killed, "I will not say a word about this place or any of you because I don't want you to kill anyone." he said.

The King nodded, "Fine. That's your choice. And a very wise one at that. Besides, I most likely won't kill whoever talks. But I'll have the others do it." it said.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Sacrifice**

Littlefoot hurried to catch up with the departing Sharpteeth. When he caught up, he just kept his head down. One of them, an Allosaurus, looked down at him while walking. He knew it was looking at him, and he glanced up at it, but he avoided looking it in the eyes. It looked at the Herrerasaurus next to him, " **What do you think there is** **about this herbivore that peaks the boss's interest** **? What does he see in him?** " it asked.

The Herrera looked at it and shrugged, " **Don't know. But, whatever he sees, we must respect it, and make sure this herbivore stays alive. Otherwise, the boss _will_ kill you and I. Actually, he'll probably all of this group.**" it replied.

Then the Herrera looked at Littlefoot, who just looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "Yes?" he said. The Herrera spoke only a little bit of his language, "I… **make** …sure…you…safe." it answered.

Littlefoot wasn't too scared of it because it was about the same size as him, but its teeth still made him uncomfortable to be that close.

Other than the Allo Herrera, the group consisted of two Rexes, three Carnos, 7 Dakotaraptors, and one late-adolescent Spino. They were heading towards another dead end, only it looked like a solid wall instead of a bunch of big rocks. The Herrera had Littlefoot stand back a little, and it covered his eyes.

Then the biggest of the group—the Spino—got close to the wall and growled a few times. Then all of the Sharpteeth roared in sync. The light appeared and moved this time. Almost like a scanner. Then the wall seemed to dissolve, and sunlight greeted them. The Herrera removed its hand from Littlefoot's eyes and they continued walking.

" **The rest of you, guard the entrances but don't get spotted. I'm going to make sure this herbivore gets inside.** " it said to the others. They all nodded and went to all the Valley's other entrances.

Littlefoot looked back at where they came from, "There is another way down there. Wait…it's in…Saurus Rock?" he thought, looking farther up and seeing a statue of rocks forming the shape of a Longneck.

The Herrera stopped and looked back at him, "Come…on." It said. Littlefoot trotted to catch up. They were walking past the Hidden Canyon, which the Herrera didn't know was a way in until Littlefoot stopped it, "This canyon is a way in. It might not look like it, but there's a hole that I can fit through." he said.

It stopped and walked back, "You…go…n **ow**." it said. Littlefoot walked into it, and the Herrera stayed at the edge of the canyon and waited until he left its sight. Once he did, it sat down and faced the Mysterious Beyond.

* * *

" **I think it's about time we get you two back home. Don't you think, Zyra?** " Hadel said. She nodded, " **Yes. Come along, Chomper. The Bright Circle is rising, and we wouldn't want the rest of your friends to get worried about you or her.** " she said.

He had no reason not to, " **I guess we should. Let's get going.** " he said.

He Chompless got up and they started walking, but Ezekiel ran after them, " **Wait.** ( _All of them look back at him_ ) **I would like to come with you. I have to know everything there is about you, Chompless.** " he said.

Chomper tried to picture Ezekiel and Milo in the Valley, but he didn't see it working out, " **I don't know if that's a good idea. Some of the residents back home were very hesitant about letting Chompless stay. I don't know if they'll even consider letting you in because they probably do not recognize your kind. Maybe they will, but I can't say for certain.** " Chomper replied.

" **Did they let your friend stay?** " he queried. He nodded, " **Yes. But…** " he said

" **Did any of your elders recognize her** **species?** ( _Chomper shakes his_ _head_ ) **Then how would me and Milo staying there be any different than her staying?** " Ezekiel said.

Upon realizing that, he had no real reason to believe that they wouldn't let them stay, except for one, " **What really will decide whether or not you can stay is** **if you two eat meat like we do.** " he said.

Ezekiel seemed prepared to answer that. " **We humans can't live on just meat, but we can live on leaves. We can eat things other than just meat and have found—at least Ezekiel I—that leaves are much more satisfying and some even tastier than meat. Plus leaves are far easier to get.** " Milo chimed in.

Chomper thought about that.

He figured they could stay, and they would be allowed if the Circle of Elders believed the same, " **With that in mind, I guess you can stay. The Circle of Elders will have to discuss this matter, though. If they feel they can trust that you won't harm anybody, they'll let you two stay. If they don't trust you, they'll chase you out.** "

" **I'm sure they'll let us stay. Even if we wanted to hurt anyone, we wouldn't be able to do much to them before they'd mortally wound or even kill us. But we are not like that.** " Ezekiel said. Chomper felt that if they really wanted to come, he should let them, " **Okay then. Follow us.** " he said. Ezekiel was slightly eager and followed closely to Chompless.

Milo also got the three Raptors to follow him, **"If you're thinking of bringing them to stay, you might as well forget it. There's not a chance they'll let those Fast Biters in** **.** " Chomper stated.

" **I figured that. That's why I have a few tricks planned to show your elders that these guys are harmless. Well, they can do harm, but they refuse to because I'll be there to correct their behavior.** " Ezekiel replied.

Chomper had no comment.

As they were passing by the canyon filled with the bodies, Milo glanced at it and saw something moving, "Hey. Hold up. ( _Everyone stops_ ) There's something alive over there." he said, pointing. Ezekiel looked, but couldn't tell what it was, "I can't see what it is." he said.

"Take Connor and check it out. We'll wait for you." Milo said. Ezekiel nodded and patted the second-youngest Raptor and had it follow him. They all waited.

7 minutes passed before they heard Ezekiel scream, the Raptor screech, then make a choking sound, and then flesh being torn, " **I don't like the sound of that.** " Hadel said. Zyra nodded, " **Should we run?** " Chomper said. Milo shook his head, " **No! We are NOT leaving him.** " he said assertively.

Then, Ezekiel came running past them, " **Run away! Run away!** " he yelled. They watched as he passed by, " **Run away from what?** " Chomper said.

Milo looked where he had come from, and Chompless did, too. They both got scared from what they saw, they took a few steps back, and then turned and both ran, " **Oh...oh...oh...i** **t's Nickie!** " Milo yelled. They looked at the two, then they felt thundering footsteps and a gurgled roar. The 3 adults looked to their left and saw her.

" **Not you again. Sprint!** " Hadel said, turning the other direction. Zyra and Redclaw followed suit, " **Aaah!** " he yelled. Nickie was charging after them at full speed. Chomper was falling slightly behind, but he refused to look back to see how close she was.

Chompless was the fastest, and she looked back to see Nickie slowly gaining ground on Chomper.

Then a thought entered her head. Actually, two thoughts, and both were possibilities of what might happen if Nickie caught up to Chomper. One was him being swallowed whole by her. The other was her taking control of him.

She didn't want either of those things to happen, " **I've got to do something, and fast. I will not let Chomper die. Or be controlled by her. Wait, but, what if she controls me?** ( _Growls in frustration_ ) **It doesn't matter! I've got to at least try to get him out of harm's way.** " she thought.

She pulled a U-turn and headed back. Ezekiel Milo skidded to a stop as she ran past them, "What are you doing?!" Milo said. " **Saving my friend.** " she said. "Nickie will take control of both of you!" Ezekiel yelled at her. " **I don't care! I can't just let this happen to him!** " she said.

He was greatly tempted to stop her, but Chompless had far more strength than he did, and Nickie was too much of a threat, so he didn't follow. But he didn't continue running, either.

When Chomper decided to glance back, all he saw was jagged teeth, which made him run faster. Unfortunately, too fast for him to stay stable. He tripped over his own foot, rolled a few times, and then smacked head-first into a tree. "Ow…" he said, rubbing his head.

He opened his eyes and saw her staring right at him, "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" he yelled.

He backed further against the tree as her head slowly got closer. He saw her pupils contract. And he got his own experience of her control. His vision got worse, his head started pounding, and then a voice started speaking to him, " ** _I know you. You know me. Let's kill, you and I. It's in your blood._** "

It sounded calm. It lulled him into thinking he should listen to what the voice said. It was so tempting to just listen to it. It was an attempt to coax him into a false sense of security. The voice sounded so friendly, but he knew it wasn't.

He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't resist it. He was clutching his head as the voice repeated over and over, seeming to infinitely echo through his skull. Eventually, he stopped and his pupils contracted to the maximum.

Then Nickie was turning toward his parents, who were just standing there, not wanting to leave their son or Chompless.

Then, she winced in pain, roared, and looked to her leg. She just missed seeing Chompless as she ran underneath her. It turns out that she had cut Nickie in an attempt to get her attention off of Chomper.

It did work. Chomper shook his head, his pupils returned to normal, and he felt in control. He saw Chompless running around Nickie, distracting her "What are you doing? She's going to kill you!" he said. " **I don't care if she does. I can go out happy as long as I know you are safe. Go! Run while you can!** " she urged. He refused, but Nickie caught sight of her.

Now, she waited until she came back into sight.

When she did, Nickie grabbed her by the tail and threw her into a tree. All her claws, except for her left hand, got stuck.

The adults decided that now that _they_ needed to do something. All 3 of them ran at Nickie, and rammed her in the side, knocking her off her feet.

Chomper ran to help Chompless get free. But they saw Nickie trying to get back up. He looked at his parents, and his mother looked at him, " **We'll hold her off, Chomper! Get Chompless free and get out of here!** " she yelled to him. He shook his head, " **No. Mom, please! You don't have to do this!** " he said, tears beginning to form.

" **Yes, we do! She's not going to stop until we're all dead, or under her control. We don't want either of those things to happen to you or Chompless. Now, go!** " she ordered. He realized that there was no alternative.

He grabbed Chompless' right arm and pulled, while she pushed with her other hand. Nickie had gotten back up, but Hadel bit into her leg to try and keep her down.

 ***** That was quite a big mistake.

Like it had been said, Nickie's skin was in a constant necrotic state, and ingestion of her shed skin would kill. Biting her was just at bad. Hadel's throat quickly swelled shut, and he began choking.

Nickie seemed to give a mocking snarl, and grabbed him by the throat and ripped his head clean off. And then swallowed it whole.

Chomper had only managed to free Chompless' right arm, and when he heard the flesh being torn, he got very worried, "Oh no." he said. He looked toward the fight and saw his father's decapitated body fall to the ground. A torrent of blood spilling from where his head used to be, "Dad…" he said, a tear falling down his face.

Chomper realized he needed to free Chompless first, then escape, and then when they were safe, cry. The remaining two Raptors, Milo, and Ezekiel came over to help him.

Zyra knew now that she couldn't bite Nickie anywhere. Which kind of made it impossible to attack her.

All she could do was dodge whenever Nickie tried to hit or bite at her. She managed to dodge all her attempts to get a hit or bite until she made a mistake.

She had to keep moving, but she slipped on a rock which was covered in Hadel's blood.

Nickie took this opportunity to bite her neck. She didn't break Zyra's neck or tear her head off. She released her, took a step back, and stood there staring at Zyra. As if she was waiting for something.

Even if she had broken Zyra's neck or tore her head off, it wouldn't have made a big difference. When Nickie bit her, Zyra instantly became completely paralyzed from the neck down, but she felt something on her feet. She looked at them, and her skin was changing from its normal color…to black.

She had seen this before.

On bodies.

Dead bodies. Only this was a much more accelerated rate.

Her skin, no. Not just her skin, but it and everything under it was dying. There was nothing she could do. She looked over to Chomper, who, with the help of the others, had finally freed Chompless and were already running. Chomper glanced back at her, but he couldn't hear what she was saying with her last few breaths.

" **Chomper…my dear son…I say** **…goodbye to** **…you. I hope…you will** **…survive…and live with…your…friends until…the…day…you…join me…and your…father. I hope that you…will be…s…sa…s…safe. And I…lov…e…y...y...** " she said as her heart stopped.

Chomper was on the verge of crying his eyes out. Memories of joyful times with them began to fill his head, making him all the sadder. Chompless was pushing him, trying to get him to move, but he didn't notice yet.

He watched as Nickie flipped Zyra's carcass over and used her hands to make a slit the length of her back. Then, she bit down and ripped out Zyra's entire spinal cord. Then she ripped all of her organs out and ate them. If Zyra's organs were normal, it still was disgusting. Rotten? Even more disgusting. *****

Chompless saw this for a second and felt sick, "( _Gags_ ) **I'm gonna puke.** " she thought. " **Nickie not only looks disgusting, but she'll eat anything, even if it's dead and** **rotting.** " Chompless thought. She had to swallow her vomit and hold it in until they were safe. She finally decided to grab Chomper, threw him onto her back, and ran. This got him to snap out of his trance.

Then, Nickie focused on Redclaw. She wasn't interested in controlling him. She was angry now, so she only wanted to kill him.

He saw what had happened to Chomper's parents. He didn't want to end up like either of them, so he turned tail and ran the other way. It was better he did this, because Nickie chased after him, giving the others the opportunity to escape.

They took full advantage of this, and Nickie forgot all about them. Chompless was at the front because she knew how to get back to the Valley. She refused to even slow down. They ran straight into the Hidden Canyon before stopping.

Now, they all stopped to catch their breath. Chomper got off Chompless' back. Then she felt the vomit coming back up, and she ran to a bush and threw up there. She practically threw up her entire stomach, " **Ugh. And I ate before we left.** " she thought.

Milo knew that eventually Chomper was going to cry his eyes out, and he wanted to attempt to comfort him. But what stopped him is that he didn't know anything that could make Chomper happier, plus he wasn't sure if trying to cheer him up was the best thing to do at that moment, or if it was even possible.

Watching both of your parents get brutally murdered is something that _will_ scar you for life, and can be a little hard to completely recover from.

Chomper looked like he was holding back the tears, but it wasn't long before he fell onto his knees and they started flooding out. Chompless came over and stood next to him. She opened her mouth to speak in an attempt to make him feel better, but she realized it would be better to leave him alone for the time being. That and Ezekiel tapped her on the shoulder and shook his head.

She backed away as Chomper continued.

* * *

Littlefoot Cera were passing by the entrance, just eating from a bush, and both of them faintly heard Chomper crying, but they didn't know that just yet, "That sounds like Chomper." Littlefoot said to Cera, stopping. They listened more, "It sounds like he's crying. But why? ( _Thinks of something_ ) Oh, no. You don't think Chompless might have died, do you?" Cera thought.

That thought got both Cera and Littlefoot's stomachs to tighten up, "I really hope not. Let's find out." Littlefoot said. They needed to know, so both of them ran outside.

They saw Chomper and Chompless, but they didn't see Ezekiel or Milo just yet.

Littlefoot went towards Chomper and ask him why he was crying, but Chompless stuck her arm out and stopped him. He looked at her, and she shook her head. Then Cera saw Ezekiel Milo. She screamed, reared up, and fell onto her back. Her scream got Chomper to pause and look over, "Chomper, run!" she yelled, scampering away.

Littlefoot looked at them, too, but he actually got defensive, "Hey! Get away from my friends!" Littlefoot yelled, beginning to charge. Chomper stuck his foot out, tripped him, and explained, "It's…okay. Those two… ( _Sniffles_ ) are friends." he said.

Littlefoot was confused, "What do you mean? I've never seen their kind before. What are they?" he said. "We are what you dinosaurs call "Hairy Bothteeth," but we call ourselves humans. I am Milo, and this is my brother Ezekiel. We both mean you no harm. What Chomper says is the truth." he said. Littlefoot was very surprised, mainly because he'd never heard of humans before.

"Chomper, how did you meet these...'humans'?" he asked, getting back onto his feet. "Chompless met them first, actually. I don't know exactly why, but she was out in the Mysterious Beyond, and someone called Tyranto captured her. Ezekiel saved her, and I followed her scent out and found her with them. They wanted to tag along with us and live here, in the Valley. They don't eat meat. They can eat greenfood, like you. We let them come along and were on our way back here. That's all." he said, leaving out obvious evnts.

Littlefoot thought something else was wrong because Chomper was crying. He contemplated whether or not he wanted to ask. He decided he probably shouldn't have. But Cera didn't think very much about her next question.

"Um…where are your parents?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Savior**

This made Chomper go silent.

"What happened?" Littlefoot asked again, sensing something else was wrong. Chomper gasped shakily. He did this a few more times, as if he was trying to get air to speak, but no words came out. Littlefoot looked at Cera, and she looked at him. He & Cera waited, but eventually, Chompless suggested that they go back inside and give Chomper some alone time. They realized that it must've been a very big thing if he needed that.

As they were walking away, Chompless looked back at Chomper, and he looked right back at her. She could tell that he did want to be left alone.

"Is he okay?" Cera said once they were inside. Chompless eyed her and sighed. Then Ezekiel, who had followed them in, answered for her, "On the way here, we were attacked. Chomper's parents sacrificed themselves so the rest of us could get away." he said.

Littlefoot and Cera's moods changed completely.

"Oh. That explains why he was so hesitant to say anything." Littlefoot said.

Now the two of them got concerned, "But, what were you attacked by? And how powerful was it for Chomper's parents to lose their lives to let you escape? His parents are very tough, at least last time we met them. And what about Redclaw?" Littlefoot said. "I never said that Redclaw died, but I never said that he didn't, either. I don't know if anything has happened to him because he ran away, which drew the dinosaur's attention away from us." Ezekiel replied.

He was about to explain everything else that had happened, but Topps happened to be passing by and saw him. Surprisingly, he wasn't immediately alarmed like he typically was, "Cera, who is that?" he said, unusually calm.

"This is Ezekiel. He's a new friend." she answered. Topps walked over to them and looked Ezekiel up and down, "What kind of creature are you? I've never seen your species before." he said. "I'm sure of that. We call ourselves humans. We typically live in places pretty far from here. As you can see by my size compared to yours, we're pretty low on the food chain. We have to live with the constant threat of being attacked by carnivores, which I suppose that the same can be said for you. Me and my brother, Milo, encountered Chompless first, then her friend Chomper, and then these two." he said.

Topps thought about this, "Cera, how are you sure that he can be trusted? We don't know what he eats." he said. "We can eat meat, yes, but we prefer to eat leaves, like you. Trust me, if I was like any of the carni- Sharpteeth...out there, I would've killed one of these two a while ago. The fact that I have not, and that they trust me, I'd say that you should, too." Ezekiel answered.

Topps thought about that fact, "Cera, Littlefoot, would you like for him to stay? If so, the Circle of Elders will have to discuss him and his brother like we had to with Chompless." he said. They both nodded, "Okay. Chompless?" he said. She also nodded, "Then it's settled. I'll let the others know, and we will discuss this tomorrow." he said before walking away.

"Who was that?" Ezekiel asked. **"That was Cera's father. Usually, at least from what I've seen, he's more aggressive than that.** " Chompless said.

"I thought so. He seemed to be keeping himself calm. That's interesting. I figured that he would be more alarmed by me, and maybe even try to attack. Or, at the least, I expected him to be a little more defensive toward you two." he said. "Usually he is, and...( _Thinks about what he said_ ) Wait a second. How did you know that about my dad?" Cera queried.

Ezekiel chuckled, "Believe me. I know can tell a _lot_ about a dinosaur just by looking at them. I could tell that your father wanted to attack me as soon as he saw me, but he thought that since you two were fine with me here, that maybe you trust me, and he should do the same. So he did, and he now knows that I am not hostile."

They were impressed—Littlefoot more than Cera—by his logic, because that was pretty accurate, "Wow." Littlefoot said. Then Chompless spoke, " **Do you think that you should tell them about Nickie? Or maybe about Tyranto, or Britasha?** " she asked him. He thought about that, " **I don't know if now is the right time. I want to say no, but perhaps I should because if they go outside and encounter either of those two, they'll be taken into his forces. Or worse.** " he answered.

Chompless raised a brow, " **Wait, what? You didn't say anything about Tyranto taking in Flatteeth.** " she said. He was a little confused, " **I didn't?** " he asked. She wavered her hand, " **Well, technically you did, but you didn't exactly tell us why in detail.** " she said.

" **Oh. My mistake** **.** " he said.

" **Tyranto wants herbivores more than he does carnivores. After the Indom killed his family and forced him away from home, a herd of about…oh…8** **Archaeornithomimus took pity on him and let him stay with them. They took care of him for 4 years. By the time he was a teenager, they were killed by another Indom. Then, he took to it to avenge those he called family. Still, I don't know why he gathers the carnivores and makes them fight for him, unless he plans on killing them all at some point. And I really don't know how he found Nickie. Either way, he wants all herbivores to be on the top, with no carnivores around to kill anybody. At all. Even if he doesn't care that he's upsetting the Circle of Life.** " he said.

Chompless pictured this, " **I can understand the avenging part, but I agree with you. If he hates carnivores so much, and he's gathering them like he is, it'd make sense if he killed them all at a later point. But, what about Nickie? Would he kill her, too?** " she said.

Ezekiel shook his head, " **Knowing the relationship between them, he will** **not. She follows any orders he gives her with _extreme_ loyalty. She listens to him like he's her father. She never refuses to do anything he says, unless it's something like asking her to kill herself—which he'd never ask her to do, anyway—and he expects that from her. He loves & respects her like a parent does their children. They have a good relationship, but that's hazardous to the rest of us. As long as they are getting along, they'll continue to go after dinosaurs.**" he said.

Now, Chompless wondered, " **May I ask, how do you know all this about him?** " she asked. Ezekiel answered without hesitation, " **I was also taken in by that flock of Archeos. When they took me in, Tyranto had been with them for a few months already. Right from the start, he was very open with me when it came to his life. He seemed kind of high on himself, actually. At that time, he hadn't gotten the idea to kill all carnivores, yet. Granted, he despised the Indom that killed his human family, but at that point, he believed that there was nothing he could do about it. He and I were best friends.** "

" **Were you there when the Indom killed them?** " she asked. He shook his head, " **No. I learned some of the tricks, like the one I did on Chomper, years before, and I found a destroyed Raptor nest. I didn't know that right at that moment. But at the time, I wasn't going to take any chances in case the mother came back. But as I was leaving, the only egg that wasn't destroyed started moving. Against my better judgment, I got closer and waited. When I saw the baby Raptor, my heart melted. It was so cute. And since it kind of imprinted on me, I felt obligated to take care of it, considering all the eggs except that one had been destroyed, and its mother was nowhere to be found. I took the baby to Tyranto, and he loved it, too. Unfortunately, the Archeos didn't. They saw it, asked which one of us had brought it there, I answered, and they sent me away. Saying, 'That thing is dangerous! If you want to take try to care of it, we won't stop you. But you will not have that thing anywhere near us.' and I left. Tyranto was sad. He was afraid for me, but they said to him, 'Don't show sympathy for him. He's just asking to die with that thing around. It will kill him the second it's old enough.' I could hear that, too, which made me angry at them, but there was nothing I could do, so I just kept walking. I wonder if Tyranto remembers me.** "

" **Where is that Raptor, now?** " she asked, curious. " **He's the eldest in that trio you originally saw. I named him** **Felix.** " he answered. Chompless remembered that he was the one sitting down next to the fire. He didn't try to attack her like the other two did.

" **Where was Milo during that?** " she asked. " **Oh. I hadn't found him at that point. When I did, and he claimed to be my brother, I didn't necessarily believe him. So I asked him a bunch of questions I knew the answer to, and he answered every single one correctly, so I believed him then.** " he said.

Then, they both heard Chomper yell. Chompless' stomach tightened up, and she ran back outside without hesitation, Ezekiel following suit. Just as they were getting out, they were greeted by a flying Chomper. Both of them watched as he flew over them and smacked into a rock, almost breaking his back.

Luckily, he sustained no injuries, " **I don't like the look of that.** " Ezekiel said.

Then a Giga came into view, " **I really don't like the look of that.** " Chompless said, pointing. Milo came running past, "Run!" he said. Unfortunately, the Giga's attention was off him, but now it was turning to them, " **Running's probably a good idea right about now…** " Chompless said, turning tail and bolting.

Ezekiel just stood there as it approached.

Chompless glanced back to see this, and she came back and started pushing him, " **Get a move on or its gonna-DAAAAAHHHHHHH!** " she said as she was sent flying by the Giga's tail.

Her landing wasn't quite as lucky as Chomper's. Instead of flying into a rock, she flew into a tree. A branch pierced her leg and dangled her like bait. The Giga saw her like that and started walking towards her.

Ezekiel looked around for something he could use to distract the dino long enough so the others could get themselves and Chompless to safety. He found a broken stick he figured was sharp enough.

He grabbed it and threw it right at the Giga's eye.

His throw didn't miss, and that got its attention off of Chompless and onto him, " **Come on!** " he yelled at it. It roared at him and he ran. It chased after, stumbling slightly because it was half-blind. This gave Milo the opportunity to try and help Chompless out, "Let's get out of here." he said.

She was hanging low enough where he could reach and grab her, but too high for him to reach her leg. He was tried to pull her down but the branch wasn't coming out. Chomper regained his bearings and also came over.

Even with both of them pulling, they couldn't get her leg free, "This isn't working!" Chomper said. "We need more help!" Milo said. Luckily, help was right around the corner. Another pair of claws reached past Chomper's head and grabbed Chompless' other arm.

He looked to his left to see a Herrera begin pulling, too. He was alarmed, " **Don't worry. We're here to help you.** " it said.

Chomper turned around to see a Utah and another Herrera running over, and a King of Sharptooth following behind them. All of them except the King—who stayed outside—grabbed hold and started pulling.

They weren't making any progress in getting her off, but then the branch broke, "I guess that works." Milo said.

All who were pulling fell onto their backs as Chompless landed on the ground. The King saw the Giga in the distance—which was still chasing Ezekiel—and roared at it. The Giga looked at it, and its eyes—well, eye—widened.

The King took one step towards it, and it took off. Then the King roared in victory and looked at Ezekiel. It was the blue-and-black one, "Hello." it said to him.

"Hi." Ezekiel replied. "Hmm. You haven't run from me. _(Sniffs_ _him_ ) And you don't appear to be even afraid of me." it said. Ezekiel nodded, "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. All those hours of watching me must've been really intriguing." it said, walking into the canyon.

That sentence took a second for Ezekiel to register, "Yeah. I guess s- wait...you knew I was there?" he asked, shocked. Then it looked at him, "Do you really think staying down-wind is enough to fool me? I can sense your body heat. I always knew when you were close. I know when any living creature is around me." it answered.

Ezekiel didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything.

Then it walked over to Chompless and looked at her leg. Littlefoot looked at it and his eyes widened in surprise, "You?" he said. It looked at him, then back to Chompless, "Yes, me. Me, me, me." it said.

"Do you have a name?" Littlefoot queried. It looked at him once again, "Of course. I am Noblefoot, but you can call me Noble if you wish. And your names are?" it answered. Littlefoot was surprised by the name similarity to his own, "I'm Littlefoot." he answered.

The King raised a brow, "Really? ( _Littlefoot nods_ ) Hmm. You don't say." he said. The others introduced themselves as well, "I'm Cera." she said. Now he looked to Chomper, "And I'm Chomper." he said.

Noble smiled, "Great to meet all of you. I have never seen a mixed group of herbivores sticking together, not to mention having two carnivorous friends in that group, as well." he said. Littlefoot then asked something else, "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Noblefoot looked back out to the Mysterious Beyond, "We are here to keep an eye on all of you and your Mystery Tooth friend. I have to say that I am glad you managed to get your elders to her stay in your Valley. It's becoming too dangerous out there, even for her and her extremely impressive defensive capabilities. But, have any of you ever hear of a human called Tyranto?" he asked them. Their mouths all dropped, "Yes." they all said slowly.

He sighed, "You hear about his mind-controlling dinosaur, Nickie?" he asked. Only Chomper nodded, and he sighed, "You heard that he's gathering carnivores to make an army?" he said. They all nodded to that question, and they all began to wonder, "Have you met Tyranto before?" Cera asked him.

He nodded slowly, before sighing, "Indeed, I have. I was with him, years ago." he said. All the kids gasped, "Do you mind telling us what happened while you were with him?" Chomper asked.

Noble nodded, "No, I don't mind." he said, sitting down. The kids did the same, and he began, "As I said, this was years ago, so I was very young when I joined him, so he didn't use what I now know to be Nickie. He just said I was destined to join him. I only believed him because I was young, and I never knew either of my parents. From the day I hatched, I had been on my own. Anyhow, I joined him, and he brought me large quantities of food and everything I needed, up until I was old enough and learned how to be an efficient hunter. Een back then, I never killed anything. He really liked me, but not like his other recruits. He liked me more as a friend. A very close friend. He had another member of my species, who was all-white like the rest of them. We were about the same age, and me and that other one got along like siblings. But one year later, while he took me out for a walk, we came across an adolescent Big Biter that was wounded. He tried to convince it to join, but it refused. He kept trying, but eventually, it managed to retaliate and cut him across the eye, just barely not gouging his eye out. He got angry and called over Nickie. That was the first time I had seen her. I heard about her from other young carnivores with Tyranto, but until then, I never laid eyes on her. Now that I did, she disgusted me right from the beginning. But she ripped the Big Biter's head off and then she ripped it apart limb-from-limb. She gave some to me and the other King. She ate the rest of the pieces. I hesitated to eat the leg she'd given to me, but I did because Tyranto insisted. A few days passed, and I began asking questions to the other young carnivores that I had become friends with. I did this because I had a feeling that there was something else going on with Tyranto. Something that I did not like. And they said Nickie had always listened to him, but she had this ability to control the adults' minds. One also told me Tyranto's plan to take over Pangea, which is this ground we're sitting on, and kill all the carnivores on it and save us young carnivores from being eaten. I didn't like that, so the night after, when I was sure everyone was asleep, I got up and left. I can't tell you how much of the next day I spent running to get as far away from that area as I could." he said.

All of the kids got nervous by that, "That sounds terrible. Do you plan on doing anything about him?" he asked. "I want to, but I don't know if it is possible. But, first things first, I need to help your friend." he answered. He grabbed the stick in Chompless' leg and slowly began to pull it out.

She winced in pain as splinters poked her insides. Before it was all the way out Littlefoot stopped him, "Wait! ( _Stops and looks at him_ ) Are you sure taking that out is a good idea? She's going to bleed more because it's gone through her entire leg. There's going to be a hole." he said.

"I am aware of this fact. And, yes. It will be a lot better if I take this out right now. All she's going to need is some leaves to keep her from bleeding too much. Don't worry, though. I already sent out a Herrera to retrieve some. Oh, and this cut _will_ get infected if it stays in because that's a poisonous tree she landed on."

They didn't register that sentence, yet, but it didn't take long, "WHAT?!" the three young dinos said in unison.

He nodded casually, "Yes. ( _To Chompless_ ) **This is really going to hurt. So prepare yourself, okay?** ( _Chompless nods, he pulls stick all the way out, Chompless winces and a tear falls down her face_ ) See how this branch appears wet on the edges? ( _Kids nod_ ) And how the leaves are shiny but aren't actually wet? That's because the poison drips off the leaves and sinks into the branch. This isn't nearly as bad as touching the leaves, but the poison is still there and will still get into your blood, but it'll take longer since it's not highly concentrated. If it reaches your brain, you start to hallucinate and eventually you die." he said.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: It Was An Eventuality**

"That not going to happen to Chompless, is it? She's not going to die?" Cera asked. Noblefoot stood tall again, "If you get sequoia leaves quick enough, no."

Cera and Littlefoot exchanged glances, "Sequoia? Aren't they those giant trees?" Cera asked. He nodded, "How are we supposed to get leaves from those? They're super tall, and there isn't a chance we can climb up them." she said.

"Oh, you won't need to worry about those. We will." another voice said. They felt a breeze behind them. They turned around, and Pterano and Ichy were there, "You two again." Cera said. "You've met them before?" Noble asked.

They looked at him, "Pterano is our friend Petrie's uncle. Ichy we know because he and his Belly Dragger friend tried to eat us before." Littlefoot replied.

"Oh. Neither of them said much about their lives before they joined. But, judging by how nervous they appear now, I believe you, and I'd imagine they think I'm judging them because of these past actions. In all honesty, I am judging them a little. But, either way, both of them are with us." he said.

The kids all looked at him, "What?" Chomper asked. He repeated itself, "They have been with us for years, now. Ichy joined us after he had said he left that Belly Dragger, Dil. Pterano and Ichy are just two of the messengers we have. Two of the best, though."

The kids had no noticeable reaction.

They all looked at Chompless, and he looked at her. Her and Noble locked eyes, and he turned his head to the left. She had seen her reflection many times in the water.

She saw that his head—at least his snout—was the same shape as hers. She gasped, and he spoke in her native tongue, " **Even if you don't believe it, you and I are related in far more ways than just this.** "

While Noble's head was turned, Chomper also saw the shape of his snout, and he looked back to Chompless. Then he looked back and forth between them a few times. He didn't understand what Noble said to her, but he turned to Chompless, and she looked at him, "Are…you two…?" he began to ask.

She looked at him but gave no response.

Then, Chompless winced in pain at something. She looked to see Ichy touching her wound. She snarled at him, and he jumped away, "I didn't mean to agitate or hurt you. I've just never seen a wound so…deep." he said.

"Ichy, leave her in peace. You and Pterano just get the leaves and bring them here, please." he ordered. Ichy and Pterano obeyed and flew off to retrieve the requested items.

Littlefoot liked Noblefoot, and they began conversing. Cera was surprised about him, but she was afraid of the carnivores with him, who were just sitting down around Chompless. She wasn't necessarily afraid of them attacking—otherwise, they would've done that long before—but it was the teeth she was worried about.

One of the Herreras was picking its teeth absentmindedly. This made Cera shiver. All she could picture were those teeth tearing into something's flesh and being covered in blood. Hopefully not her own, or any of her friends', either.

Almost two hours passed before they all heard flapping wings, "Here you go, Noble." Ichy said, placing them next to Chompless. Noblefoot smiled slightly, "Thank you very much. ( _To self_ ) We cannot let Chompless die. Unless we find a male of her kind, we'll always have to have at least one pair of eyes on her." Noblefoot said to himself.

Not many interesting things happened until a few months later. Well, there were a few notable things during that time in between. One of these was when the elders discussed Milo and Ezekiel staying, and, after a very, very close debate, they allowed them in.

Noblefoot was always outside, and the kids usually went out to talk with him, and he always kept a close eye on Chompless. Even while she was inside, he had a way of watching her from outside. He was always joined by various amounts of other Sharpteeth whenever the kids him met up. Sometimes only two came with, sometimes up to eight.

Their species also varied. And, Noblefoot helped Chompless learn to speak the Flattooth language. She still preferred to speak in Sharptooth and have Chomper translate, but occasionally she had to speak to someone else when he wasn't around.

But, events began unfolding during the beginning of winter. It was just after the Valley had gotten their first blanket of snow for the year.

As Littlefoot was waking up, he saw the snow on his nose, and he sprang to his feet and began playing in it. When Chomper and Ruby woke up, they also got excited about the snow. Both of them were up before Chompless. Chomper tried to wake her up, but she growled and ignored him.

He and Ruby decided to leave her alone and play in the snow until she woke up of her own volition.

When she did, a small icicle hanging from the roof of the cave fell and hit her on the snout, slightly alarming her. She looked outside, and all she saw was white everywhere. She looked around to see the gang playing, and some adults socializing.

She had only seen snow once or twice in her life, but she was very young and barely remembered anything about it.

The coldness of it she didn't forget.

She was shivering for a few moments, but she heated up her scales to counteract this. She walked towards the gang, and she was greeted by a snowball to the face. Needless to say, she was not expecting that. Chomper was the one who threw it, but he was aiming at Cera and missed, "Oh! I'm so sorry, Chompless! I didn't mean to hit you with that." he said.

It didn't hurt at all, but she wondered how he got it, "It's alright, Chomper. But where did you get that from?" she asked. "Let me show you." he said. Then he bent down, grabbed some snow, and curled it into a sphere. Then he handed it to her, "Throw it at me." he said, backing up. She wondered why he wanted her to do that since she'd never heard of a snowball fight before.

After a moment of hesitation, she threw it.

She had never thrown a snowball, so she didn't have the best accuracy. Only about half of it hit Chomper, but boy did her throw still have some strength behind it. She thought she threw it at only half her strength, but it knocked Chomper clean off his feet. She rushed over to him to make sure he was okay.

He wasn't hurt at all and she helped him back up, "That was a good throw. Really powerful, too. You might want to practice more, though. If you meet me at Healing Rock later, I'll help you get better at aiming your throws. But for now, do you want to join in with us or watch?" he said.

She thought about it, and it seemed fun to her, so she chose to join in. She chose her team, and the game resumed. They played for a while, Chomper, Chompless, Littlefoot, and Ruby were on one team, Ducky, Cera, Petrie, and Spike were on the other team. It was like a modern-day snowball fight. Build a fort, throw snowballs at the other team. Everything was going great, Chompless was having loads of fun.

That is, until something hard hit her on the side of her face, "Ow!" she yelled, dropping the snowball in her hand.

Chomper looked at her, "What's wrong?" he asked. She rubbed the side of her jaw, "Something hard just hit me. It felt kind of like a rock." she said. Then, the same thing hit her leg and almost knocked her down.

Then they heard mocking laughter, "Hahaha! That Sharptooth still can't take a hit." a voice said. The kids looked and saw Hyp, Mutt, and Nodd, "Guys, go away. Now is not the time for this." Littlefoot said. Chompless looked at them and got agitated, and Chomper knew this, "Easy, Chompless. These guys are just bullies. Don't let them get to you." he warned, moving next to her.

She didn't give any response as if she heard. But Nodd heard this and retorted, "Aw, why? Does she not wanna fight back? ( _All laugh again_ )" Chompless got more agitated, and she dropped down onto all fours. The kids knew that when she did that, it is an indicator that she was really getting annoyed and may attack, "Uh, guys?" Mutt said, pointing. They stopped laughing and looked at her, "Oh. Does she wanna tussle? Come at us! It's three-vs-one." Hyp said.

Chompless bared her teeth, and the gang looked at her, "Chompless…don't." Littlefoot said. He and Chomper stood in front of her. Chomper rubbed her neck to try and keep her calm. She only ever let him do that, and she loved the feeling of it. It did help, and she calmed down.

Then, Hyp made the mistake of grabbing a rock covered in ice and throwing it at Littlefoot, who had turned around just to take it to the face.

He staggered a little, and a drop of blood fell onto the snow. When Chompless saw that drop made the snow go red, anger took over. She pushed Chomper and Littlefoot out of the way and charged at Hyp.

Now all three of them got scared, "Oh…oh…aaaaahh!" they said, turning around to run. All three of the bullies ran, but Hyp had only taken 3 steps before he was forced to the ground. Chompless snarled at him and raised her claws. She flipped him over so he could see them. She wasn't going to kill him, oh no. She was just threatening him. Displaying her weapons, if you will.

Mutt and Nodd stopped and looked back to their pinned friend. They didn't want to go near Chompless, so they just stood there.

While she was greatly _tempted_ to kill Hyp because he hurt Littlefoot, she couldn't do it. She was better than that. She wouldn't do it in the Valley, anyway. Anywhere else, she probably would. Nodd thought she was going to do it, though.

He ran at _her_ in an attempt to get her off of Hyp, but he tripped on a rock and started rolling. He couldn't stop, and he rolled, stomach-first, into Chompless claws. Her head perked up when she felt the warm, viscous blood running down her arm.

She turned to look at her claws, and she saw Nodd stuck on them. He was weakly gasping for air. Her claws pierced his stomach, and unfortunately, his heart. He died within seconds, and his body fell off her claws, which were now completely stained red.

She got off Hyp, who was paralyzed with fear, and she looked at her claws, " **What have I done?** " she said, slowly backing away from the fresh carcass. Chomper tried to assure her that it wasn't her fault, "It's not your fault. He ran into _your_ claws. He basically killed himself." he said.

While they knew what happened, the adults didn't.

As bad luck would have it, Topps was the first one to see the scene and run over, "What happened here?" he asked. The kids were contemplating what to say, but Hyp spoke up before they could speak, "Chompless killed Nodd. We were just minding our own business when she came over and stabbed him in the heart with her claws. And she was about to do the same to me. She had me pinned down and her claws up, ready to kill."

Mutt said nothing.

The kids all looked at him before looking back to Topps, who now looked at Chompless. He saw the blood on her claws, and it went downhill from there, "I knew it was a mistake letting you stay. Get out of here, you monster!" he yelled.

Littlefoot tried to correct the misunderstanding before it got any bloodier, "She didn't do it! Nodd ran into her claws, which she raised to threaten Hyp. She wasn't going to hurt either of them! She was just being defensive toward me!" he urged.

Topps thought about it, but he didn't believe it, "No. She killed him of her own volition. I knew her instincts were too much and she'd succumb to them. Get out of here now or I'll put my horns through your head!" he bellowed. A tear streaked down Chompless' face, but her emotion quickly changed from sadness to spite. She looked at the others—mainly Littlefoot and Chomper—who had stood between her and Topps.

But before they could tell him the evidence they had that Chompless was innocent, she made up her mind, "If I can't be here, then they can't, either." she said. She grabbed Littlefoot and Chomper, turned around, and ran toward an exit, taking the two with her. Topps was confused by this, but he thought she was going to take them as a meal, so he gave chase, "Let them go!" he yelled.

She refused to listen.

They passed by a few other adults, who looked at what was going on, "Chompless has killed Nodd, and she's leaving with Littlefoot and Chomper so she can eat them!" he announced. All the other adults joined in on the chase. Chompless was far faster than all of them when it came to raw speed.

She ran outside, and the adults had to stop because she disappeared into the foliage in the blink of an eye, "We can't go out there. We don't know where she's gone or where she's going. Plus, it's just too dangerous out there." a Hadrosaur said to Topps.

As dedicated as he was to saving Chomper and Littlefoot, he realized the Hadro was right, "I suppose you're right. Let's just hope Chomper and Littlefoot can escape before she kills them. Then Grandpa came over, "Chompless has been friends with the children for almost a year-and-a-half, now. Why do you think she would kill them now? Or at all?" he asked.

"She's a vicious beast, Longneck. She never belonged with us in the first place. I was willing to give her a chance, but I knew, deep down, that her instincts would get the best of her one day. And I wasn't wrong, as usual." he said, walking back inside. All the others did, too, except for Grandpa and the rest of the gang, "Chompless…" Cera said.

There were a few moments of silence as they looked out, "You don't think she'll actually kill them, do you?" Ducky asked Grandpa. He sighed, "I imagine not, but she will get hungry eventually. I would imagine that she will fight her instincts as much as she can to stop herself from hurting them, but I don't know her personality that well. ( _Kids look at him with expressions of worry_ ) All I can say is to hope. I'm sure she'll come back with them eventually. We just have to wait." he said, heading back inside.

Before they went back in, they all took one last look outside, "Hope to see you…soon." Ruby said. And with that, they all headed inside.

* * *

"Chompless, stop!" Chomper said.

She gave no recognition, "Please stop! It's not your fault!" Littlefoot begged.

Chompless just kept on running.

She did stop after about 15 minutes, and let them go. She had been holding Littlefoot so tightly that he could barely breathe, so he was gasping for air when she let go. He wasn't angry or upset with her, and neither was Chomper, "Chompless, you've got to go back. We can clear this up. We have evidence that it wasn't your fault." Chomper said.

She looked at her bloody claws, "And what makes you think I can just waltz in there again? If Topps and that…Hyp are filling the adults' heads with lies, then they're probably going to believe them, not you." she said.

They kept trying to reason with her, but they were getting nowhere and eventually gave up, "Okay, fine." Littlefoot said. It was getting dark out, so they laid down to rest. It was very cold that night, and the nights following got colder and colder. One night, 9 days after she fled from what the place she once called home, she saw Littlefoot and Chomper shivering. She got a thought and wrapped herself around them, and then heated up her scales.

This kept them warm, "Thank you, Chompless." Chomper said, yawning. They stayed out there, and after another 5 days, a huge blizzard came in. It dropped a lot of snow, but it also dropped the temperature, and drastically. If thermometers existed at that time, they would've been reading -18 degrees ( _Fahrenheit_ ) on that night, but that was only just after dusk. The coldest it got to that night was -31.

Chompless could only heat up her scales so much before they were too hot and burned the two, keeping them awake. That night, even with her scales heated up, Chomper was still shivering greatly. Littlefoot was okay—because more of her body was around him—but Chomper, who just had some of her tail around him, wasn't doing so hot.

She got the fear that he might freeze to death right next to her. There were icicles forming on his skin and on his snout.

She made one of her hands its normal temperature, and she felt his chest. His heartbeat was much slower than it was supposed to be. On top of this, she could tell that his body temperature was dropping, too. She thought about starting a campfire like Ezekiel Milo had done a few times before.

But right now, it was just far too cold, plus she didn't have the time to get the materials or to get the kindling set up and actually get the fire burning. And, even if she had the time and the materials, it was just too windy. Chomper's limbs were going numb, and he was going to get frostbite if she didn't find a way to warm him up, and quickly.

Then she got an idea. But she began contemplating whether or not it was a good one, "If I do that, Chomper probably won't look at me the same way again. But…he's dying. If I can do something to end his suffering, and I hesitate to go through with it, I will feel so bad because _I'm_ the one who brought him out here. If he dies, this is all on me. So…I guess I might as well just get on with it." she thought.

She uncurled herself and got up. She began moving behind Chomper, but stopped. She was very hesitant to go through with her idea. She still had major doubts about what he'd think when he saw her doing it. She sighed, but decided it would've been easier if she just didn't think about it too much and did it now.

Chomper's teeth were chattering. She opened her mouth to let him know what she was going to do, but no words come out. All that did come was another sigh. Her breath visible before her. She was hesitant, but Chomper's body temperature was still dropping by the minute. If it dropped a few degrees more, his blood would begin to get cold, and if cold blood reached his heart, it would kill him.

She realized that it was either her way or nature's way, "I'm sorry if this seems wrong, Chomper, but it's better for your sake." she said.

She grabbed him with her hands and gently lifted him up to a point where it was like he was standing. Then, she looked over to Littlefoot, "Maybe I shouldn't do it so close to him." she thought. She walked a small distance away before stopping and looking back at Chomper.

He was too cold and didn't even notice her holding him, or carrying him away. She kind of stared at him for a minute, "If you hesitate too much longer, he'll die. Do what you have to do, and do it now." her conscience said.

She looked at him again, and hesitated no longer, "It's now, or never." she said.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Experience**

She tried to speak to him to let him know her plan, but he didn't respond.

She tried a few more times, but still he said nothing. Then, she licked him on the face a few times and waited. She noticed that he tasted delicious, but that was irrelevant to her. Her licking got him to slowly open his eyes, "W…why…why…d…did y…you…d…d…do…th…that?" he said, shivering. She moved him a little closer, " **Because I want you to know what I'm doing. I can't keep you and Littlefoot warm enough by just curling up around you. Littlefoot is doing okay, but you are about to freeze to death. Just…don't be alarmed by what I'm about to do, okay?** " she said.

Now he was very concerned about what she had in mind, but he slowly nodded. She nodded back, and then opened her mouth wide. He gasped quietly as she moved his head into her open maw. Her jaws were over the top of him. But then she got a different idea and stopped. She moved him away as she closed her jaws. Then she walked back toward Littlefoot and then stopped next to him.

She placed Chomper on the ground, before moving behind him and then over him. Then she laid down, almost completely covering him up. She placed her arms along her sides, ensuring no wind could get to Chomper. He was squished between the ground and her, but luckily he was still able to breathe, but just barely, "Ow. You're hurt…ing me." he said.

She looked at him, " **I'm sorry, Chomper, but I have to do this or you're going to freeze to death. This is the best solution I could come up with to prevent that from happening. It's either this or I can eat you like I was about to.** " she said.

"Would…y…y…you…really…ea…eat me…to k…k…ke…keep m…me wa…warm?" he asked, his teeth chattering. " **If I had absolutely no other choice, yes. I care about you too much to let you die. So, would you rather me eat you, or I lay on you like this? I mean, it's a lot warmer inside than outside.** " she replied. He, even though slightly hurting because she did weigh a lot, decided he'd rather be under her than inside her, "I'll st…stay out…here." he said.

She nodded, " **Okay. I'm sorry if I am putting a little too much weight on you, but I just want to be sure that you are safe from the cold.** " she said. He nodded back, "It's…okay." he said. With that, she laid her head down, which mostly went over the top of Chomper's, but she didn't go to sleep yet.

She wasn't going to even think about trying to sleep until she was sure Chomper was warm and would stay that way.

Not much of her scales were coming into contact with him. Most of it was the skin on her belly, which she also heated up to be completely sure he was warm. Chomper's limbs started regaining feeling, and his heartbeat returned to normal.

Then, when all parts of his body regained feeling, he could feel the skin of her stomach. But there was something about it he found very odd. He doesn't know why he did this, but he began to rub it. It wasn't rough like he had expected.

No, it was very, very soft. She liked the feeling of it being rubbed, and she purred as he did that ( _Which was more like a soft growl_ ). He took notice of her reaction, and he continued for a couple of minutes. Chompless purred almost continuously, "You really like this, don't you?" he said. She didn't say anything. She just kept purring.

Then he remembered how she liked having her neck rubbed, also. Now he began to wonder why she liked these spots being rubbed, so he decided to ask her, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you like your neck being rubbed? Or, in this case, your belly?" he asked, moving his hand on her neck and rubbing it.

She looked down at him, " **Why do you want to know?** " she asked after another purr. "I'm just curious." he answered.

She didn't answer straight away.

It took a minute before she spoke, " **Because…it's kind of like a sensory trigger for me. My mother used to nuzzle me all the time on my neck. And she also rubbed it when I got upset. It always felt so good and calmed me down. Sometimes, it even put me to sleep because it was that soothing. As for my stomach** **…whenever I was feeling playful, Mom would roll me over and rub my belly. She also did that after I had a full stomach. I absolutely loved it, regardless of when she did it. As you can imagine, I haven't felt those things in…well, years. And** **it was just not the same when I rubbed those spots.** " she said.

His mood changed, "Oh. I'm…I'm sorry. I…I…didn't know." he said. " **No, no, it's okay. As I said, I enjoy the feeling and I encourage you to keep doing that for as long as you are willing to. It reminds me of all the** **…happy** **…times I had with her.** " she said, slightly welling up. Chomper didn't notice this. But he also realized that she only ever let him rub her.

"I have another question. Why do you only let me rub you like I am now? You don't really let anyone else touch you. So, why me? I'm not complaining or anything, but it's just got me wondering." he queried.

She stood up slightly, and looked down at him, " **Because there's something about you that I…** " she said, losing her words. Chomper now wondered, "Something about me that you…what?" he asked. She wanted to say her true feelings, but she was nervous about his reaction, so she didn't say anything. She just laid back down.

Chomper decided that he shouldn't have asked that question, "Actually, never mind. Forget that I asked." he said. She shook her head, " **No, no, no. I will answer your question eventually. Just not at this moment. I need some time to think about it.** " she said. He was perfectly fine with that.

As she laid on him, he could hear her heart beating, her steady breathing, and the occasional gurgle of her stomach. These sounds, combined with her warmth began to make him very drowsy. His eyes began to get heavy, but before he fell asleep, he heard Chompless speak to him one more time, " **Sleep well.** "

He didn't have anything to say, and he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. When she felt his breathing become slow and relaxed, she knew he had fallen asleep, and the fear that he might've died went away. Now, with Chomper safe and warm underneath her, she laid her head down. After a sigh of relief, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep as well.

Before she completely drifted off, she curled back up around Littlefoot and continued to keep him warm through the rest of the blizzard.

In the morning, when Littlefoot woke up, he yawned, shook the snow off his head, and glanced to where Chomper was the night before. Then his head snapped back to that spot since he wasn't there. He got worried and began nudging Chompless with his head.

Chompless had completely concealed from Littlefoot, even though she didn't intend to do that.

"Chompless? ( _No response_ ) Chompless. _(Growls_ _softly_ ) Chompless!" he said, putting his front legs on her and shaking her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, "Huh? _(Looks at_ _him_ ) What? What is it?" she said.

Littlefoot gestured towards where Chomper was, "Where's Chomper?" he asked worriedly. She looked and stood up, revealing him, "Why were you laying on top of him?" he queried. Chomper was still asleep, "He was on the verge of freezing to death, and I had to do something. I had three options. Let him die, which you know I _could not_ do. Two, I could eat him and…well, he'd definitely be warm if I did, but I didn't think you or him would look at me the same way again. Or the last choice, which was laying on him like I did. I thought that the third option was the best one." she said.

Then Chomper woke up and stretched. "Chomper? ( _He looks at him_ ) Did you let Chompless lay on you last night?" he queried. Chomper nodded, "Yes. Truthfully, even if I didn't want her to, there was nothing I could do to stop her. She is much stronger than me. But anyway, I was very cold, and I would've died if she hadn't done that. I am thankful. It did hurt a little because she did put a lot of weight on me, but she wanted to be sure that I was protected from the cold." he answered.

Littlefoot was slightly surprised, but he pushed this aside and also thanked her for saving Chomper's life. Then, he tried to ask her to come home again, "So, Chompless. Do you want to go back to the Valley, now?" he asked.

" **No.** " she said quickly. Chomper and Littlefoot exchanged glances, " **I can't go back there. Topps believed Hyp because he was older. You and the others, despite all being there, they won't listen to. I imagine Topps will most likely say that I scared you into saying that it wasn't my fault.** " she said.

Littlefoot looked at Chomper again. He just about threw his hands in the air, " **What can we do to convince you to go back?** " he asked. She looked at him, then Littlefoot, and went into thought. She eventually came up with something that would satisfy her, " **Prove to me that Topps has been told and believes the truth about this incident. And by that I mean I want him to come out here and say—to my face—that I am innocent, he was wrong, and that I am accepted back into the Valley. Oh, and that Hyp is punished since he lied about how that Clubtail died.** " she growled.

Chomper and Littlefoot looked at each other, "If that's what it'll take to get her to go back, I guess we have to do it." Chomper said. He went to head back, but Chompless grabbed ahold of him and pulled him back, " **No, no, no, no. Not you.** Littlefoot, you go." she said.

Chomper looked at her, slightly shocked, " **Are you out of your mind?! He's walking all that distance by himself. What's going to stop a Sharptooth from eating him?** " he said. She looked down at him, and her look said everything, " **I just have a strong feeling he will be fine. You have to trust me.** " she said.

The way she said it reminded him of last night. Chomper realized that if she wanted this done, it had to be done her way, or she wouldn't go back. And, Littlefoot had survived adventures more dangerous than this, so he figured he could do it.

" **Okay, you're right, Chompless.** Littlefoot, go ahead, and keep an eye out for any other Sharpteeth." he said. Littlefoot looked back to them as they both waved goodbye.

As soon as he was gone, Chomper looked at Chompless, and she looked right back at him. She was expecting him to say something about the previous night. He did want to, but he was very hesitant to.

They stared at each other for a few moments, but then the silence was broken by footsteps. Chompless grabbed ahold of Chomper's hand and kept him behind her, " **Stay behind me. Don't let go in case we need to run.** " she said. Chomper was prepared to run.

Adrenaline filled his and Chompless' veins.

They saw rustling in the bushes ahead and Chompless snarled. She gaped so whatever was coming would see her teeth. It emerged from the bushes. Chompless' eyes widened, and so did the dino's, " **It's you! You've survived after all this time! I never thought I'd ever find you. But I'm so glad I never stopped looking.** " the dino said. Chompless was practically gasping for air.

It was another Mystery Tooth. One that was slightly bigger than she was and, unlike her, it was white, with the top of its back being black. Its size and color were irrelevant, though. Because this was another member of her species, and she knew them.

" **Arez?** " she asked slowly. The Mystery Tooth nodded, " **Meira. **( _Pronounced mere-uh_ )" it said. Chompless let go of Chomper, who looked between her and Arez. It took a second, but he got a feeling as to who this must have been, "Chompless? Is…is this your…?" he began to ask.

She slowly looked at him and nodded. Even though Meira was her real name, Chomper still preferred to call her Chompless.

It was her brother.

Her sibling, who had been missing for years on end, presumed to be dead, was now standing right in front of her. Clearly alive and well.

She slowly approached him and he approached her. There was a moment of silence between them before Chompless and Arez reached out and hugged each other. They clung each other tightly, " **8 years, and you're doing just great! I was so worried that you would get killed. But I never lost hope that I'd find you, and I never stopped searching. I'm so glad my dedication was beyond worth it.** " he said.

She cried with tears of joy, " **It's so good to see you, too. I was worried I'd never see you again after what happened with that Stego. I thought you were a goner. But I, too, always hoped I'd see you again.** " she said.

After about 2 minutes straight of them hugging, they finally let go of each other, " **How did you survive?** " she asked.

" **I barely did.** **If that tail had hit me just a few inches higher, I would've been dead. It almost pierced my heart. I was so battered when I hit the ground, but that was just the start. When I landed, I started rolling down a hill. I rolled through** **just about everything possible. I rolled through very low beehives, spike bushes** ( _Rosebush_ ) **, logs. I hit my face on just about every rock on the way down. Then, that hill led right into a river. I was just barely able to get myself out before I went over a huge waterfall.** " he said.

Chompless was shocked, " **Well after that happened, h** **ow did you manage to survive on your own?** " she asked again. " **I just remember pulling myself onto land and then passing out. I think I was unconscious for a week, or just a very, very long time. I was so hurt, I was surprised that nothing seemed to smell my blood and ate me while I was out. After another two weeks, I was mostly healed. After that,** **I will admit it, f** **ood was very hard to get. There were a few times I collapsed, ready to give up and die. But as I closed my eyes, and life was about to leave me, I pictured finding you alive, and that was enough for me to force myself to get up and keep going. Now…what about you? What's happened to you since?** " he said.

" **About the same, but I think my situation was worse. Or I just had really bad luck. Usually, I only was able to get food, which wasn't even half of a meal. What I managed to get was more like a quick snack, and I was only able to catch some about once a week. Actually, one time I didn't eat at all for 9 days straight. I was exhausted. But I managed to find a carcass which replenished all my strength. Most of the time I was in trees. I slept up in them, ate in them. They were practically my home. But I found a friendly Longneck who was willing to help me. When he found me, I had twisted my ankle and skinned my other leg beforehand, and I was starving, on top of all that. I fell onto my side, ready to die, too, but he brought me a fish. I ate it slowly so it'd stay down. Then he seemed to notice I was still hungry because he brought me a whole pile of them. He helped me get better. I began to gain trust for him, and he did with me. And every night after that, he met up with me outside of his home, the Great Valley. Then his other friends…** " she said before Arez interrupted her.

" **The Great Valley? That herbivore haven?** " he queried. She nodded, " **Yes. Anyway, his other friends found out about me, and their elders discussed whether or not I could stay there among them. But get this, they actually let me. Now, them and I are all happily living together.** " she said.

Then he wondered, and asked a question she wasn't prepared to answer, " **If you are living with them, t** **hen w** **hy are you out here?** "

* * *

 **Hello, my readers, my readers hello! I apologize for the delay between this chapter and the last, but I had some...difficulties finding a suitable, yet appropriate plot.**

 **There are two versions of this chapter, but the original version can't be posted here because it contains mildly descriptive vore. This is the safe version you can all read and enjoy.**

 **If you wish to see the original version, it will be posted on my DeviantArt page soon after I publish this. My name on DeviantArt is MesozoicGamer.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

 **Readers, please be warned! This chapter contains a brief scene of attempted vore.**

 **Read at your own risk!**

She hesitated to answer that question, but she had to, " **I…I was defending the Longneck from three bullies about a week or so ago, and one ran directly into my claws, which I was just holding up to scare one of the other ones, who I had pinned down. The bully that impaled himself died within seconds, and one of the adults saw his body and came over. Then, the bully who I pinned, but had gotten off of by that time, lied to him, saying I killed his friend myself. The adult believed him over my friends, and he chased me out. I took two of my friends with me because if I couldn't stay, I didn't want them to, either. I didn't want to be alone again. They both want me to go back so they can clear up this mess, but I said that, unless the adult who accused me comes out here and says to my face that he was wrong, only then will I go back. I sent the Longneck off to do this about 20 minutes ago. I have a strong feeling he will be okay for the journey back. Oh, and the dinosaur behind me is the other friend I took. His name is Chomper.** " she said.

He gestured for him to come over, and he nervously did, " **He's taught me his native language so I can speak with him and he translates what I say to his friends.** " she said. She didn't mention that she could speak Flattooth, though. Chomper avoided looking Arez in the eye, but she assured him that he wouldn't attack if she was his friend.

Chomper eventually looked up at him, and Arez smiled, showing his teeth. Chomper more or less stayed close to Chompless.

She and Arez both understood his nervousness. " **I see. Well, did you figure out how to do…this?** " he said, opening his jaws. When he did that, he retracted his teeth and then extended them. Then he closed his mouth and waited for a response. She kept her jaws shut, but did the same thing back, " **Yeah. I've done it once or twice.** " she said. He smiled at her.

Later, as the sun began to set, it got windy. Really windy. Chompless and Arez both got chills, but they heated up their scales to compensate. Chompless wrapped around Chomper that night as the temperatures dropped. The temperatures fell even lower than the night before.

Since Littlefoot wasn't there, more of the scales on her body were keeping him warm, but because it was colder than before, he was shivering just as much. Chompless saw this despite her immense warmth, and that thought came to her again.

She just wanted to lay on him to warm him up. She liked having him underneath her and keeping him safe, hidden in a place where nobody could see him.

Arez looked at her as she stared at her friend.

Then, she decided she needed to do it again. She stood up, moved over Chomper, and laid down on him. He looked at her as she did this, and smiled, but said nothing before he closed his eyes.

Arez wondered why she was doing that, so he came over. She greeted him then looked back to Chomper, " **What are you doing, sis?** " he asked. She looked at him, " **Just keeping Chomper warm. I had to do this last night or he would have frozen to death. Actually, before I came up with this, I was going to eat him to keep him warm, believe it or not.** " she answered.

He pictured her eating Chomper to keep him warm, and he smiled slightly. She sensed this and looked up at him again, " **You seem interested in something. May I ask what it is?** " she said, seeing the look in his eyes.

" **It's Chomper.** " he answered. She raised a brow, " **What about him?** " she queried. " **It's** **…** **it's his kind, yet** **…** **courageous nature. I'm truly surprised he wanted to be your friend. Especially considering your** **…** **condition.** " he said. She avoided eye contact now, " **Yeah** **…** " she said.

Then, she got a look of guilt, and Arez realized why, " **Wait** **…** **you didn't tell him, did you?** " he said.

She hung her head slightly, " **No. How could I? I don't think he'd trust me if I told him. But I've been getting more control of that over these years. At least, I feel that I have.** " she said.

" **Okay. Well, that's your view. Do you think that he'll trust _me_?**" he asked her. She thought about that, " **Probably not right now. I mean, after all, he did just meet you a few hours ago. But I do have an idea that can help with that.** " she answered.

He wondered, " **What do you have in mind?** " he said. She gestured for him to get closer, he leaned down, and she whispered in his ear.

Once she told him, he slightly nodded in agreement, " **Huh. You were always the clever one. I can do that, no problem.** " he said. She gained a smile. But she felt Chomper moving, and Arez went back to where he was. He opened his eyes and looked at her, "Chompless, I can't sleep." he said, shivering slightly.

" **Are you still cold?** " she asked. "A little bit, but it's just a chill now and again, so I barely feel it. But I just can't fall asleep." he said. She nuzzled his head.

Then she looked at Arez—who she nodded to—and he gestured for Chomper to go over to him. Chomper looked at him and was scared. Other than his name, he knew nothing about Arez. Even if he was Chompless' brother, he didn't exactly trust him not to harm him.

She looked at him, and then reassured Chomper that he was trustworthy. " **Chomper, it's okay. You can trust him. I'm the one who taught him how to be gentle around other dinosaurs. And he won't hurt any of my friends. So he won't lay a claw on you. Otherwise, if he does, we're gonna go at each other's throats. Not literally, but it very well may get to that point if he persists. Anyway, he's older than me, and he can heat up his scales more efficiently than I can.** " she said, patting him on the back.

"Is he going to curl up around me?" he asked. She shook her head, " **No. He's going to do the same thing I did. He's going to lay on top of you and heat up his skin.** " she said.

Chomper was hesitant, but Chompless' judgment had been good so far, and the thought of more warmth was an added bonus, so he figured, why not? Plus, more heat might make him fall asleep easier, and it'd be a perfect opportunity to get to know Arez better, too.

He walked over and laid down next to him. Arez moved over top of him, but he let Chomper's head stick out so he could breathe since he was a decent amount heavier than his little sister. Chomper slowly began to drift off to sleep, and Arez looked down at him.

Then he looked back at his sister. She stood up and come over, " **I'm going to initiate the plan. You do what I said, okay?** " she said. He nodded. She nodded back disappeared into the foliage. Then, when she was gone, Arez got a thought. He stood up and took a few steps back so he was at the edge of Chomper's feet.

Once he was there, he looked where Chompless was going, didn't see her, and then he looked back to Chomper. Then he moved slightly closer…

…and he opened his jaws.

 ****** He moved his mouth up to Chomper's ankles. Chomper felt the wetness of his tongue, but he didn't know that at that moment. He opened his eyes and looked. When he saw Arez, his eyes widened and he gasped.

He began to panic. He tried to scream, but Arez knew this and put his hand on his neck, making him unable to. He could still breathe, but he couldn't make any sounds, apart from a quiet choking-like sound. Chomper did his best to look Arez in the eye, but he didn't look back at him.

He grabbed Chomper with his hands and continued moving his jaws further up his body. But he retracted his teeth. Whether Arez retracted his teeth or not, Chomper was still panicking. He didn't know him at all, so he didn't know what he could have been thinking.

He could've been gentle now, and then digest him. And Chompless probably wouldn't notice until it would've been too late. Speaking of which, she was still gone, and he realized that he could scream since Arez was holding him with both hands. He did, but Arez quickly covered his mouth.

Chomper waited for Chompless to come sprinting through the trees and stop Arez, but she didn't. Now, all of Chomper's tail and legs were in Arez's mouth, he took his hands off, and tilted his head up. Chomper was trying to prevent himself from sliding down, but Arez growled softly and opened his mouth a little wider.

Chomper put his hands on Arez's snout and tried pushing himself out. He did make a little progress, but Arez then bit down a little harder, and then he shook his head—which made Chomper lose his grip—and then he swallowed once, pulling him further down than he was before.

One look at how far inside Arez's mouth he was and Chomper lost hope that he was getting out of this. He stopped resisting and went limp.

Arez continued to swallow. But, Chomper's head was still in his mouth when something happened. ******

Chompless came back. **  
**

She saw that Chomper was missing, and she got very worried. Arez looked at her as she came right over, " **Arez, where is Chom...** " she began to say. She saw Chomper's head in his mouth. He looked at her, but he just had a wide-eyed look on his face, " **Oh no** **.** " he thought.

He just stared at her and gulped, only this time in worry.

Now, she was angry, " **You're trying** **…TO** ** **EAT**** **HIM?! When I told you what to do, this wasn't even remotely CLOSE to what I said! Spit him out, right NOW!** " she ordered. He did not respond, " **SPIT HIM OUT NOW, OR I'M GONNA KILL YOU!** " she roared.

He seemed to remain very calm, "( _Muffled_ ) **Calm down, Miera. Suppress that wild side before you hurt someone again. You did this to him, too, didn't you?** " he said. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down, but she was still upset with him, " **I said I was _about_ to eat him, but I didn't actually go through with it!**" she replied.

He had to think about what she had said before. He realized that he had misheard her, " **I apologize, sis. I misheard you. I'll let him go.** " he said.

He spit Chomper back onto the ground. Chomper immediately got to his feet and ran behind Chompless. "Arez was trying to eat me!" he said. Arez felt really bad about what he had tried to do.

Chompless looked at him with anger in her eyes, " **I'm sorry, sis. I just wanted to keep him safe. And I thought that keeping him in my stomach and not digesting him would've made him feel much safer around me and boost his trust for me. But I was wrong. Can you ask if he's willing to forgive me?** " he said.

Even though she didn't really want to, she nodded. She looked back to Chomper and tried to calm him down, " **Chomper?** ( _Looks at_ _her_ ) **I doubt you'll believe me, but what Arez did? He was just trying to keep you safe.** " she said. Chomper looked at her, "Safe?! Was he going to keep me 'safe' until later?!" he said.

" **No. Like I told you before, he respects my friends, and he would not hurt any of them, and you were no exception. He just wanted to have you close to him. He usually does eat creatures alive, but he wasn't going to digest you. He did it with the best intentions, even if it didn't seem like it.** " she said.

He wanted to doubt her, but she knew her brother far better than he did, and he saw the apologetic look in Arez's eyes. And he hung his head in shame, "So…in simple terms…" he said before Chompless answered him, " **He did it because he likes you as a friend. More so than any other friends of mine.** " she said.

He looked at her, and then to Arez again, **"** You mean that…he only did that because he liked me?" he asked. She nodded, " **Yes. He was never going to hurt you. He knows I'd attack without hesitation if he tried.** " she said. He moved out from behind her and slowly approached Arez.

He glanced at him, but then averted his eyes and hung his head in shame, **I** **…I apologize, Chomper. I'm sorry I scared you, but I never wanted to harm you. I only wanted you to be safe and to trust me.** " he said.

She translated what he said, " **Chomper, Arez apologized. He said that he had hoped that keeping you safe in his stomach would've made you trust him more.** " she said. He didn't say anything, and Arez looked at him before averting his eyes again. After a few minutes of silence, Chomper spoke, "You would've eaten me to keep me safe? While I am shocked, I kind of understand your reasoning. I forgive you, Arez, but please don't try to do that again." he said.

Chompless translated this to her brother. He felt a little happier and nuzzled Chomper, " **I promise that I won't. I thank you for forgiving** **me.** " he said. Chompless relayed his words to Chomper. Chomper didn't say anything more, but he smiled and hugged Arez's snout. He felt weird for a second, but he liked feeling. So then embraced the hug and purred.

Then after Chomper was done, Chompless and Arez laid down, and Chomper decided to lay down next to him. The two Mystery Teeth began conversing. He, of course, didn't have a clue as to what they were saying, but he had a feeling it was about what Arez had tried to do.

" **I'm really glad that he decided to forgive me for my actions. Hey, sis,** **you remember when Mom used to do that to us?** " Arez said.

Chompless thought back to those moments, " **Oh, yeah. I remember how shocked and scared I was when she grabbed you in her mouth that first time. I was terrified and as she was swallowing you, I remember thinking, 'What did he do wrong? What did he do to anger her?' and 'Am I next?' But it wasn't anything you did. It was just to keep you warm and safe. It didn't matter when she did it to you or when she did it to me, it always gave me a scare. Just the feeling of her jaws on my feet or seeing them coming over my head always made me jump.** " she said.

She also remembered more fun times they had when they were a little older, a few months before he went missing, " **And I remember she wasn't the only one who did that. You remember those times you did that to me, bro?** " she said.

Arez remembered those fun times as clear as day, " **Oh, yeah. You and I really got to spend some quality time together when I did that. And all those other times you, me, and mom spent together, whether we were inside her or not. Those days and nights were so good that I never wanted them to end, ever. But now, mom is gone, our home has been destroyed. I hate to say it, sis, but the years of fun and games are over. We have to be serious if we want to survive.** " he said. She nodded, " **I know. Well, actually, we may not have to worry about that.** " she said.

He raised a brow, " **What do you mean?** "

" **If this mess I'm in gets cleared up, maybe you can stay with me in the Valley.** " she suggested. That made him accidentally inhale some saliva, and he started coughing. " **You okay?** " she asked, concerned.

He nodded, " **I'm f** **ine.** ( _Coughs some more_ ) **Just some spit went down the wrong pipe.** " he said, continuing to cough. She understood and waited for him to stop.

Once he did, he thought about her suggestion, " **You mean…you want me to live with food? I mean...your friends?** ( _Chompless nods_ ) **I don't think I could stay there. I'm too old to fight the instincts I've been following for years. I won't be able to control myself and I'd surely kill someone.** " he said.

She hadn't thought about that, " **Oh. You're probably right about that. Um…** " she said, trying to think of some kind of compromise. She wanted to have Arez close by, but she didn't want to simply abandon her friends. She cared about them as much as she cared about him.

She eventually did think of something that could work, " **Well, you can stay outside of the Valley. I'll come and meet you out there, and you can hunt to your heart's desire, as long as you don't hurt anybody inside. I don't want to leave my friends, but I will not leave you, either.** " she said.

He thought about that, " **Hmm. It sounds plausible enough to work, but I don't know.** " he said. She hoped that he would accept. She waited, and eventually, he came to a decision, " **Okay. I guess I could give that a try.** " he said. She sighed, smiled, and nuzzled him.

She didn't say anything else, but she laid her head down in front of Chomper, who was already fast asleep. Arez smiled and laid his head down on the other side of Chomper. They both curled themselves around Chomper, while also having their heads next to each other's, as well.

They also both heated up their scales to keep Chomper warm, " **Sleep, well, sis.** " Arez said quietly. Then he looked at him, " **You too, Chomper.** " he said. And with that, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

Tria had just taken Tricia to the watering hole for a drink, and then a quick pit-stop for food on the way back. Tria hadn't been getting a lot of sleep for the past few days, mainly because Tricia was quite hyperactive and had constantly disturbed her, keeping her up.

But today, Tricia had worn herself out and fell asleep within seconds of laying down in the nest. When Tria started to lay down next to her, her legs gave out, "Oh, finally, some peace and quiet. Maybe I can get a decent amount of sleep before Tricia wakes up again." she thought.

She laid her head down and fell asleep within seconds. But she had a dream that startled her.

 _It seemed like just a normal day. The sun was out, others were socializing, the kids were playing in the snow, and everything seemed fine. Tria was just digging down a little to see if there was any greenfood underneath the snow, but then she heard a voice speaking, but it echoed and sounded quite distant, "Is she not gonna fight back?" one said._

 _She looked around, but saw no one, and continued digging, only for her to hear another voice, "She still can't take a hit! Hahaha!"_

 _Now, she turned and looked all around, "Who's that?" she asked herself. Then she heard a growl emanate from the distance. She wondered and decided to follow it. The growl kept emanating, getting louder as she approached the source of it. Through some trees and foliage, she could see Hyp, Mutt, and Nodd picking on the kids, "Those boys never seem to learn." she said._

 _Littlefoot and Chomper were standing between Chompless and the bullies. Chompless was the one who was growling, but she stopped when Chomper began to rub her neck. This seemed to soothe her._

 _She was about to walk over and break up the dispute, but Hyp threw a frozen rock at Littlefoot's face, and he bled slightly. She could hear Chompless growl and charge at Hyp before pinning him down, "Aaaaaaaah!" he yelled. Tria was shocked that Chompless did that and got worried when she raised her claws up. Because of this, she stayed where she was. Chompless just stood there, claws raised, but did nothing._

 _Then Tria saw Nodd run at her, but trip and begin rolling uncontrollably._

 _He rolled right into her claws._

 _Tria gasped as Nodd's body fell off Chompless' claws. Then, she saw Topps come over and ask what happened. She heard Hyp lie and say Chompless intentionally killed Nodd, and she gasped again. She could hear the kids trying to convince Topps of Chompless' innocence, but he didn't listen and chased her out. She grabbed Littlefoot & Chomper before sprinting towards an exit._

 _Tria was shocked, and then she heard a voice, directed at her this time, "You know what happened. And you know what you have to do." it said._

 _Then she woke up._

She gasped, remembering hearing Topps tell her about the events of that day, "The kids were right. Chompless didn't kill him. She's innocent." she said.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Making Some Wrong Things Right**

After a few hours of walking, Littlefoot finally reached the place he called home, "I'm here. Now, I have to convince Mr. Threehorn that Chompless is innocent. And the hardest part will be to get him to come out here and admit to her that he was wrong." he said. He was passing by Noblefoot and some other Sharpteeth with him. He greeted him as he was passing by, "Hi, Littlefoot." he said. Littlefoot looked at him and nodded in acknowledgment and tried to hide his worry.

Noble could smell it in him, "What's wrong?" he asked. Littlefoot told him, "Chompless…was framed. She got defensive when three bullies were picking on us. Mainly her, actually. She pinned one of them to the ground after he made me bleed by throwing a rock at my face. Then another one ran in to get her off, but he ran into her claws. She raised them as a threat display to the first bully." he briefly explained.

Noble looked out to the Mysterious Beyond, "And you're out here because…?" he said.

"Well, the grownup who first saw it wanted her to get out, and she decided that if she wasn't welcome here, we shouldn't have been either. She grabbed me and Chomper and took off with us. We've been outside for the last couple weeks, I think." he said. Noble looked out again, "Did she send you here by yourself?" he asked.

Littlefoot nodded, "Yeah. She wanted Chomper to stay with her. Anyway, she said that the only way she would come back is if we convince the adult who accused her that she is innocent and that we make them come outside and say—directly to her—that they were wrong." he said.

"Hmm. Okay, then. I'm just going to send one of my friends out to ensure that Chomper and her are okay." he said. Littlefoot nodded, and Noble called over a Carnotaurus. He and it spoke, but their conversation was very short. A few barks and growls from each, before the Carno nodded and went off into the Mysterious Beyond.

With that out of the way, Noble looked back to Littlefoot, "And about getting evidence of her innocence, I can help you with that." he said, standing up.

Littlefoot looked at him, "What do you mean by that?" he questioned. Noble was silent for a few moments. After about a minute, he answered.

"I'm coming in."

Littlefoot's eyes bugged out, "You can't come inside!" he said. Noble smiled, showing his teeth, "Trust me, Littlefoot. I know what I'm doing. It has been long enough. It's time for us to come out of hiding." he said. Littlefoot did usually trust his judgment, and he figured that there was nothing he could do to stop Noble even if he wanted to, "Alright. Fine." he said. Noble nodded again, "Good. You might want to stand back a bit." he warned.

Littlefoot wondered what he meant by that, but an Acrocanthosaurus nudged him away from the wall. He did so and it stood next to him, along with a Herrera, Austroraptor, and Troodon. Noble then lifted his foot and gave the wall a swift kick. It made the hole a decent size bigger, but it wasn't quite enough for him to fit through. Then he backed up to the edge of the canyon and then started sprinting at the wall before hurling himself into it.

The rocks crumbled and made a lot of dust. All of the adults inside jumped out of their skin as this happened. Once the dust settled, all the adults nearby looked and saw Littlefoot standing next to Noble and the other Sharpteeth. The adults wanted to protect Littlefoot and keep all of the Sharpteeth out, but Noble was was too big for anyone to take on. So they were in defensive stances but didn't actually do anything.

Noble walked in, and Littlefoot followed. The adults all watched as they came in. Then, one of them had the courage to approach them.

Tria.

Topps tried to stop her, "Tria, what are you doing?! That thing will kill you!" he yelled. She looked back at him, "No, it won't. Why would it kill me if Littlefoot is walking right next to it?" she shot back. He stuttered for words and ultimately said nothing. Then Noble looked at the adults staring at them, "I have no interest in harming any of you." he announced. This shocked all the adults.

Tria looked up at Noble, and he looked back at her. Something about the look in his eyes was unlike other Sharptooth. They passed by her, and she started walking alongside them, "Littlefoot, do you know this Sharptooth?" she queried. He nodded, "Yes. This is Noblefoot. The others and I have known him for a few months, and he's been staying outside the valley since we met. He's come inside to gather what happened the day Chompless took me and Chomper." he said.

She wondered, "Why are you here then?"

"Well, we've been trying to convince Chompless to come back, but so far we've had no luck. But a few hours ago, she said that the only way she'd come back is if the one who accused her of killing Nodd—that being Mr. Threehorn—comes out into the Mysterious Beyond and admits, directly to her, that he was wrong. Only then will she come back." he said.

Tria glanced back to Topps, and then looked up to Noble, who just kept looking ahead, "Maybe he can confirm the dream I had." she thought.

When Tria followed them, the other adults, one-by-one, started following as well, but more at a distance. "Littlefoot, where did it happen?" Noble asked. Littlefoot saw the forts they had built, the footprints and the blood in the snow, and he gestured to it, "Over there." he said. Noble looked and saw it, "Aha, I see." he said.

Since Nodd's death, no snow had fallen, and the area where it happened wasn't visited very often, and no snow had melted, so absolutely nothing had changed. That meant that the blood— from Littlefoot and Nodd—was still completely visible, and everything was exactly the same as it was on that fateful day.

Noble had Littlefoot stand back, and he sniffed the air. He smelled Nodd's blood, but he wanted his corpse as a reference, "Hold on. I'm going to get the carcass." he said.

The scent of Nodd's body was faint, but he eventually found a mound of dirt a few hundred feet away. He dug it up, and pulled Nodd's body out, "A Clubtail? Wasn't expecting that. Well, come with me." he said. He came back and set Nodd's carcass off to the side of the crime scene. The other adults stopped behind Littlefoot.

Topps was about to say something about Noble defiling Nodd's grave, but Tria gave him a subtle kick, which he understood what she was saying. So he kept silent.

Noble began sniffing everything around the area, and he dropped onto all fours and slowly began to piece together what happened, "The kids were standing over here, just having fun. The bullies show up, over there, a medium distance away. They threw rocks at them, and Chompless went onto all fours. They tried to stop her, and the bullies persisted. They moved closer to them…and Chompless moved forward. They stopped her again right here _(Sees her foot and handprints in the_ _snow_ )…but then a rock was thrown at Littlefoot. It hurt him, and he bled right there _(Looks at the drop of blood in the_ _snow_ ). Chompless ran at them…pinned one down…right here _(Points at ground_ ). Their friends stood over…there _(Sees footprints stop on the hill_ ) and could only watch. Then, the Clubtail ran to help his friend. If the Clubtail was here and rushed in ( _Grabs Nodd's body and moves it as if he was running_ )…oh, he must have tripped over this rock and probably began rolling. If that happened, he couldn't stop, and if Chompless was standing here, and her claws were raised ( _Adjusts Nodd's body as if rolling again_ ) then that would put them…right on her claws stomach-first, and he bled to death right here. She didn't intentionally kill him. ( _To Littlefoot_ ) You are right. Chompless didn't do it. His friend lied about his death." he said.

Hyp was in the group of dinos following, and he piped up, "I didn't lie! Chompless did kill Nodd. I saw her jam her claws right into his heart!" he said. Everyone looked at him with disgust, and Noble's hand started moving toward him, "NO!" Hyp yelled as Noble grabbed him. He moved him up to his head and bared his teeth. He opened his jaws, and Hyp closed his eyes, ready to accept his death.

But then Noble closed his jaws and waited. Hyp slowly opened his eyes, and looked at Noble with sheer terror, "Listen to me, you. I am very good at detecting liars, and I can see it written all over you right now. Your friend here ( _Holds Nodd's body up with his other hand_ ) rolled directly into Chompless' claws. She didn't kill him. Now, you lied about how your friend died that day. Normally, I would be more than happy to eat and slowly digest you. But, you get off with a warning…this time." he said, placing him on the ground.

Hyp slowly backed away, and Noble lowered his head down, "I only show mercy once. You do something like this again, I won't be as forgiving. Now stop pushing your luck and get out of here, meat sack." he said. Hyp still was shocked, and Noble had had enough. He roared, which got Hyp to turn tail and sprint.

Noble then turned back to the others, "You. ( _Points to Topps_ ) Step forward." he ordered. Topps just put his head down and obeyed, "You accused Chompless of killing this Clubtail, and the evidence here tells me that she didn't. The children were also there, and you listened to him instead of them. Not to mention, that boy had caused trouble with the kids long ago." he said.

Topps was hesitant to even look at Noble, and he didn't say anything, now feeling horribly ashamed of himself. Noble then held Nodd's cold, dead face right in front of Topps, "He ran at Chompless to get her off of his friend. But he tripped over this ( _Points_ ) hidden rock and rolled. If her claws were raised and she was standing right here—which scent tells me that she was—then he would end up directly on her claws, which is what happened. Chompless did not intentionally kill him. It was just a very unfortunate accident." he said.

Everyone looked at Topps, now, and he was so ashamed and he didn't want to say it. But, he mustered up the courage after a few minutes, "You're…you're…right. I…was…wrong." he said. Noble lowered his head to Topps' level. He looked up and gasped slightly, "Now, you must make things right." Noble said.

"How? She's long gone." he said. Now, Noble let Littlefoot take over while he went to put Nodd's body back into the grave, "No, she's not. She told me that the only way she'll come back is if you come with me and say—directly to her—that you were wrong." he said. Topps looked at him, "Out in the Mysterious Beyond?" he asked. Littlefoot raised a brow, "I'm pretty sure I don't see her in the Valley, now do I?" he said, making Topps feel guiltier.

He said nothing, and Tria approached, "You know what you have to do, Topsy. You need to make things right. Littlefoot could've been killed because of what you did, and Chomper is still out there with her. Do you really want the weight of their death on your shoulders? Or are you willing to make it right, regardless of where she is?" she asked.

This made him feel even guiltier than he already was. But, he eventually responded, "No. I don't want to have to carry that burden. ( _Looks to Littlefoot_ ) Okay, fine. You take me to her, and I will admit that I was wrong." he said. Littlefoot smiled, "Good. Follow me." he said, walking back towards the way he came. Topps followed.

Before they left, Littlefoot looked back to Noble who had already re-buried Nodd's corpse, "Do you want to come with, Noble?" he queried. Noble shook his head, "No. As much as I want to, I have to explain some things to your folks. I plan on staying in your Valley, so I need to assure them that they can trust me." he responded. Littlefoot understood, "Okay, you do that." he said back.

* * *

Chomper was just starting to wake up. He could see Chompless beginning to wake up as well. He smiled and rubbed the side of her neck, which made her purr, "Good morning." he said. Chompless nuzzled him back, " **Morning.** " she said. Chomper didn't see Arez, "Where'd Arez go?"

She looked past Chomper, " **He said he was thirsty and was going to drink from the pond. But I think he's going to get some food, as well.** " She said. "Oh. Okay." he replied. It was kind of early in the morning, so they both went back to sleep.

 _At the pond:_  
Arez was taking a drink and even an early-morning swim. He liked water as much as his sister did. He had already eaten a few Compys, and his belly was slightly distended. But after he finished swimming and shook himself dry, he looked at his reflection in the water, and he saw his mother looking back at him. He sighed, " **I miss you, mom.** " he said, beginning to tear up slightly.

He dipped his snout into the water to take a drink, but soon memories of the enjoyable times with his mother came flooding back to him, the biggest one was when his little sister hatched.

 _Little Arez was just waking up after having a large meal that his mother hunted. She was curled up around him, and he nuzzled her and purred. She nuzzled him back when they both heard a cracking sound. They both were alerted and looked at the nest. There were three eggs, but two of them had already been broken open._

 _The third one was moving, and they both got close to it as cracks in the shell appeared, " **Yay! I'm gonna have a sibling!** " he said in joy. His mother nuzzled him again, " **Yes, my little angel. Maybe it'll be a girl.** " she said. He was excited, " **That would be nice, but even if its a boy, I'll still be happy.** " he said._

 _They both waited, and after a minute a little claw poked out. Arez was practically about to jump for joy. Then a little head poked out of the egg, and the baby chirped. " **Oh...it's so** **cute!** " Arez said. His mother smiled, " **So were you when you** **hatched. And you still are.** " she said, nuzzling him. He blushed and nuzzled her back.  
_

 _He and she then went back to watching as the baby broke out of the egg and chirped more, just looking between them. " **Hi there, little** **one.** " his mother said, gently picking the baby up in her jaws. It squealed slightly, but it felt a sense of comfort with them as it was set in the nest. She sniffed it and was even happier, **"** **Arez, it's a girl. You now have a** **sister.** " she said._

 _He looked at her, and then his sister, and he nuzzled her even more, while still being gentle. She tried to walk to him after he stopped nuzzling, but she stumbled and fell. He laughed and moved his snout to her and picked her up on it. He purred even more and once she wanted to climb off, he gently nuzzled her again. " **What should we call** **her?** " he asked._

 _His mother thought about that. She looked at the baby, who had her little baby teeth, yet she wasn't trying to gnaw on anything. She then came up with the perfect name, " **How does Chompless** **sound?** "_

 _Arez looked at his little sister, who was lying by his side, and he nuzzled her, " **I love it.** " he said. They both smiled and nuzzled little Chompless, who squeaked in surprise.  
_

 _She nuzzled both of them back and purred. They began purring as well. Over the course of a few hours, Arez and Chompless began to play while their mother watched. She was happy how quickly Arez and her connected as brother and sister. For a few hours, Arez didn't stop playing with his little sister. Their mother could tell Chompless's personality would be a gentle one, but she could get very defensive if she needed to._

 _She curled around them as both of her kids fell asleep. She sighed happily and went to sleep as well.  
_

Arez felt happy and didn't want that moment to end, but his head fell all the way under the water that got him to snap out of it. He welled up, and he just couldn't hold it back anymore. He sat down on the bank and cried.

* * *

 _A couple of hours later:_

"Are you sure you know where she is?" Mr. Threehorn asked, doubt beginning to fill his head. Littlefoot looked back at him, "Yes, I'm positive." was all he said. But, they then heard a relatively close roar, and then a loud thud, "I think something just died." Topps said.

Littlefoot thought the same, "I think so, too. Maybe we should run." he said. Topps nodded, "Good idea." he said. With that, they both began running.

They were only running for about a minute before Littlefoot ran into something. He shook his head to regain his bearings. He looked and all he saw were bones that were stained red. He slowly backed away and soon figured out what it was.

It was a Sharptooth, but what he had run into was its ribs. Which its whole stomach was ripped open. A portion of its ribs was gone, and its heart and lungs were gone. Littlefoot then looked around and saw a plethora of dead Sharpteeth, some had missing body parts, and some were missing the skin. Littlefoot gagged, but he forced his vomit back. One thing he noticed about the corpse he ran into made his heart race.

It was still warm.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Introductions**

It was a Sailback Sharptooth, but that didn't matter, "You okay, Littlefoot?" Topps asked him. He nodded, but eyed the body, "That body is still warm. It was just killed. And whatever did it I'm pretty sure it is still around. Let's hurry before it notices we're here." Littlefoot said. Topps nodded, and they both sprinted out of there. Topps and Littlefoot were looking back at the mass murder and not where they were going.

In turn, Littlefoot looked ahead, and saw they were about to run into something, "Mr. Threehorn watch out!" he said, skidding to a stop. Topps looked ahead and also tried to stop, but he couldn't in time.

His horn pierced the object, but considering it started bleeding, Littlefoot realized it was a leg, and he started backing away. Then, a large tail came swinging toward him. He tried to jump and avoid it, but it caught his feet and flipped him over. A large hand grabbed Topps' neck and pulled him out. He choked for air, but he was lifted up, and all he saw were teeth. Bloody, slime-covered teeth.

Littlefoot knew who this Sharptooth was, "Not Nickie." he thought. She looked at Topps up and down and looked at his bloody horn.

Nickie snarled at him, before looking at her pierced leg. The expression on her face made it seem like she didn't seem to feel any pain from it. She licked her wound and it began to heal in front of their eyes. They were both shocked, but then Nickie looked at Littlefoot. He tried to back away, but Nickie blocked him with her tail. He began to panic, trying to climb up her tail. But then she threw her head to the sky and roared.

After a few minutes, he heard a voice, "Hey, hey, hey, Nickie. What'd you get?" they asked.

She moved her tail, and Littlefoot saw a human, but he knew which one this was. "Hey, there, little Longneck. What's your name?" he asked. Littlefoot remained silent. "Can't you talk?" Tyranto asked. He still kept silent. Then he saw Nickie holding Topps, "Nickie, put the Trike down, please." he ordered. She obeyed and gently set Topps on the ground.

"Are you Tyranto?" Littlefoot finally said. He seemed surprised, "You know who I am? I guess my reputation precedes me." he said. Littlefoot decided to see if Tyranto had anything to say, "Yes. I do. I've heard from my folks that you're using this abomination to control the minds of Sharpteeth." he said. Tyranto raised a brow, "No, that's nonsense. I am trying to make a place that is safe for all plant-eaters, like yourself." he began to explain.

When Nickie heard what Littlefoot called her, she snarled and looked down at him, "Nickie, I'm sure there's a lot of bad rumors about you and me. If you can't handle what others call you, then go take a little walk." He said. She growled softly and walked into the thicker foliage. They both watched as she left, "A bit moody, isn't she?" Littlefoot said.

"She can be, but she's just really sensitive about her appearance." Tyranto replied. "Did she always look like that?" he asked, trying to get more information about her. "No, but she gets upset when I try to ask her. Anyway, enough about Nickie. I want you to come with us. We've already got a lot of your kind in this place. You won't be lonely, you'll always have plenty of food, and you will never have to worry about any Sharpteeth trying to hunt you." he said.

Littlefoot had had enough of his lies, "Tyranto, just shut up with these lies." he said sternly. Tyranto was so surprised and let him speak, "I know what you're doing. I know that you have this…monstrosity that controls the minds of Sharpteeth to get them to do your will. I know you're planning to take over the land and you lie to Flatteeth, telling them you're making a safe place for us. But I know what you're really up to. I know you are only using Nickie and the Sharpteeth under her control to flaunt your power. You want all dinosaurs to follow your every command, otherwise, they die. You want them to be your slaves, and even your precious Nickie is a slave. She follows every order you give her without hesitation because she has no free will and she can't think for herself. No. Thank. You!" he said, turning and walking away while swatting him in the face with his tail.

Nickie happened to be hiding in the trees, and she snarled quietly. She was now just itching to eat Littlefoot, but she was ready in case Tyranto gave her the order. Tyranto sighed as Littlefoot was leaving, "Oh? Sorry, but that wasn't the correct answer. You will have to be disposed of. Nickie!" he said. Littlefoot had seen Nickie when he was walking away, so he was prepared to run.

When she lunged at him, he jumped out of the way, and she went right into a tree. "Mr. Threehorn, RUN!" he yelled, breaking into a full sprint towards Topps. He nodded and also sprinted. Nickie tried to get up, but some mud kept making her slip and fall. They got away, and Tyranto hit her with the blunt end of his spear, "I can't believe you, Nickie! You NEVER miss your target. I'm disappointed in you!" he said.

She gave a sad-sounding growl, and he sighed, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I know you tried to. But he knows of my plan, but he's a sly one. We need to come up with a well-rounded plan to catch him." he said. She leaned down to him, and he hugged her snout. She purred softly at this, and they walked in the other direction.

Chomper woke up a few hours later and he stretched. He sighed as his bones popped and cracked. Then he looked at Chompless, and she looked back at him, "Morning again, Chompless." he said, rubbing her snout, making her purr softly.

"Hey, I have a question. Did you give Arez that idea to eat me?" he queried.

She shook her head, " **No, I didn't. I was going to set up a scenario where he would have to protect you from another Sharptooth. I know it would've given you a lot of trust in him if he saved your life. Arez liked you from the start, but he wasn't sure if you trusted him much, so I figured my idea would speed up the process. But he got his own idea and decided to try and eat you and keep you safe. He really likes eating things. But that's just him.** " she said.

"I've got to admit, he had a very weird way of trying to get me to trust him. I really thought he wanted to snack on me." he said. She shook her head, " **Oh, no. Not at all. Well, okay, he and I both admit that you are really tasty, but that is irrelevant to us because you're our friend. If he ever tried to hurt you, I would attack him without hesitation. He mainly likes you because of how you are courageous enough to want to be my friend. And I'm sure he'd probably feel the same for Littlef-** " she said.

Chomper wondered why she stopped in the middle of her sentence, "Is something wrong?" he asked. She nodded very slightly, " **Yeah. Even though Arez is probably going to like Littlefoot when he meets him, I don't know how Littlefoot will react. And I don't think Littlefoot will trust Arez if he tries to eat him.** " she said.

Chomper nodded with a look that said: "you think?"

"Well, then what? If Littlefoot manages to get Mr. Threehorn out here, I don't know how he or Littlefoot would react to Arez." he asked her. Chompless thought about how she could handle that, " **I don't know. I mean, he's not going to be staying inside with us. Maybe we could hide him, perhaps?** " she said. Chomper wavered his hand, "From Mr. Threehorn, or Littlefoot?" Chomper queried.

Chompless thought it'd be easier for the others to know about Arez so they could get to know him. And, if he was ever discovered, they all could protect him like they did Chompless, " **Probably from Mr. Threehorn. It'll probably be easier for the others to know about Arez so they can defend him if he's ever discovered, which I hope he is not. He can't fight his instincts very well since he's been following them for years so he could survive, but he's willing to try to for your sake.** " she said.

At the moment, they both saw Arez coming back. But then they heard a scream, and they recognized it.

"That sounds like Littlefoot." Chomper said. Chompless knew it was him, " **It is, but where is he?** " she said, looking around.

Arez came over to them, and then Chomper and Chompless saw Littlefoot running towards them, and he ran right underneath Arez's belly, but he tripped on his foot, "Yie!" Littlefoot grunted, falling and skidding on his face.

Arez looked at him with no emotion, but that soon changed to hunger. He started approaching Littlefoot, who was dazed and hadn't regained his bearings, yet. Chompless's eyes widened and she stepped between the two.

" **That's the Longneck! Don't hurt him!** " she said. He stopped, " **Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't know.** " he said. Then Chompless realized that it was Littlefoot, " **Wait, he's here! Arez hide, quick!**" she urged him. He nodded and climbed up the nearest tree and disappeared into the foliage. He stopped shortly after and watched from above. Then she turned to Chomper, who knew what she was going to say, " **I won't say anything about Arez.** " he said quietly.

She nodded. Topps was behind Littlefoot and turned to see Chomper directly ahead of him, and he started trying to stop, "Chomper!" he yelled to him. Chomper saw him and dived out of the way. Topps barely missed him but smacked into a tree.

Once he backed away, he turned to face Chomper, who was just getting back to his feet, "Mr. Threehorn. You actually came." he said. "Yeah. I didn't want- I mean I couldn't say no because I care about you and Littlefoot's safety. Littlefoot got me to realize the truth. Now, uh…where is Chompless?" he said. He heard a soft growling

He jumped and turned to her, "You…" he growled. She raised her claws, still covered with Nodd's blood. He stopped and remembered what Littlefoot had told him. He knew what Chompless wanted him to do, "Do you have something you would like to say to me?" she asked. He hesitated. Admitting he was wrong about what happened was difficult. Chompless could and would wait all day until he admitted it, "I'll just wait for you." she said, keeping her claw raised.

Eventually, he did muster up the courage to say it, "I was wrong…"

That wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her, "About?" she asked, now crossing her arms. He hesitated again, "Nodd's death. It wasn't..." he struggled to say. She started tapping her tow claw, "It…wasn't…your…fault. You didn't kill him, he ran into your claws and killed himself." he said. She was waiting for one more thing, "And?"

"You really want to hear this, don't you?" he said. She hissed and cut his left front leg with her claw. He staggered at this, and lifted his injured foot, "I'm not in the mood for any stalling." she snarled. He knew now that she was very agitated with him, and he should just say what she wanted to hear, "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! I apologize for accusing you of killing him. Can you bring yourself to forgive me?" he said.

She growled at him but was happy that he said it, "Yes." she said, walking by him toward Littlefoot. As she was passing by his head, she whispered something to him, "Consider yourself lucky. One more wrong word out of you and it might've been your throat."

He didn't know how to respond to that statement, so he didn't say anything.

She walked over to Littlefoot, and helped him up, "You okay?" she asked. He looked at her and nodded, "I'm fine. I just tripped over something, that's all." he said. She glanced at the tree and looked right at Arez, who looked back at her. Chomper looked, too, and then he and Chompless exchanged glances. Then Chomper also went to Littlefoot, "You didn't run into any Sharpteeth while you were gone, did you?" he said.

Now Topps and Littlefoot both exchanged nervous glances, "Actually, we did. It was that Nickie we've been hearing about." he said. Chomper's eyes widened, "You did?" he asked. Littlefoot nodded, "Yeah. Mr. Threehorn ran into her leg, and she grabbed him and I think she was about to eat him. Then she looked right at me before she roared into the sky. And the human who she listens to did respond to her roar and he came to us. Uh…Tyranto? Something like that." he added. Chompless and Chomper gasped, 'You actually saw him?" he asked. Littlefoot nodded slowly, "I didn't just see him. I talked directly to him." he said.

Chomper was beyond curious now, "What did he say?"

"He said that he was taking Flatteeth and making sure no Sharpteeth could ever hurt them. He tried to make his idea sound good, but I didn't fall for it." Littlefoot answered. Chomper and Chompless were a bit shocked, " **Wow. That's…aghh! I want to rip his throat out so badly!** " Chompless said, now angry. Chomper started rubbing her neck, trying to calm her down, "Hey. Chompless, it's okay. It's okay. Just…calm down. We'll stop them eventually." he said soothingly.

She took a deep breath and began to calm down. She began to purr softly. "That's it." Chomper thought, continuing to rub. He felt her purring, and he could hear her breathing slowing down, "Good." he said quietly. She eventually calmed down, pushed her snout into his chest and she gently nuzzled him. He wrapped his arms around her neck as best he could and hugged her.

She purred a little more and they stayed like that for a little while. Everyone took notice of this. Once they stopped, they realized everyone was staring at them. Chompless got a slightly nervous expression, "What? You never saw me calm her down before? I'm the only one who can get really through to her when she's angry. So yes, I do hug her, and yes she does like to purr. So what are you staring at?" he said, slightly harsh.

None of the others responded to that and looked away from them to each other.

The whole time, Arez kept watching, and he liked Littlefoot as much as his sister did. But, unnoticed by him, was that the branch his feet were on was cracking. Everyone heard it as well and wondered, "What's that noise?" Littlefoot said. Then, Arez looked at the branch and gasped. He tried to move to another branch…

…but it broke and he fell...

...right onto Littlefoot.

"Ah-!" Littlefoot said before he was cut off. Chomper and Chompless gasped. Arez groaned, but then looked up and saw his sister and Chomper, along with the others staring at him, " **Oh no.** " he thought. He didn't know what to do, but he heard Littlefoot's muffled yells underneath him.

He stood up and got off of him. Littlefoot gasped for air and looked at Arez, who looked right back at him. They just stared at each other for a little while, and nobody else said anything or moved a muscle. But Arez moved closer to Littlefoot and stroked his face, and smiled as non-threating as possible. Then Chompless moved over to them and decided to tell everyone.

"Everyone…this…is my brother, Arez." She said. They all were silent, but Mr. Threehorn took a step back, seeing Arez was a bit taller than him, "Don't be threatened by him. He is gentle and caring unless somebody provokes him or he's defending me." she added. Arez nodded to back her up. Eventually, Mr. Threehorn spoke, "Can…can he speak?"

"Of course he can. ( _To Arez_ ) **Arez, that's the one that accused me of killing the Clubtail. Kill him.** " she said, pointing to Topps. Chomper gasped and he mouthed "Chompless…no."

She just looked at Chomper and smiled. He shook his head, and she nodded before winking. He was confused but just kept silent.

Arez snarled at Topps and splayed his claws, but then he stopped and they both laughed, "Sorry, I just felt we had to do that to give you a good scare. Arez can speak, but not in this language, or even in Sharptooth. Only our native one. It sounds like this. **Arez, say what you have to say and I'll translate it to them.** " she said.

None of them laughed, but they weren't angry. Not even Topps, mainly considering he was afraid of death because if they attacked him, nobody could save him.

When she spoke to him, all they heard was just some high-pitched screeches. And Arez spoke said what he needed to, and she translated. "He says that he is going to stay near the Valley, but he will stay outside of it, and we'll be visiting him, as the others did with me. He also promises that he will not hurt anybody from the Valley or are Far Walkers." she said.

Arez nodded again. "You sure he can control his impulses?" Topps asked. She sighed, "He's not attacking you right now, is he?" she said. "No…" Topps answered. "Then that means he can control himself. Even when I'm not around, he'll still fight his instincts. If he doesn't…he knows I'll make him learn." She said, giving him a look. He knew it all too well and nodded.

"Okay. Maybe he can stay with Noblefoot." Topps said. "You know…I didn't think of that. But that would be perfect. I'm sure Arez and Noble can get along." Chomper said. Chompless translated this to her brother, and he smiled.

Then they all heard footsteps coming closer, and both Mystery Teeth tensed up and snarled.

Then a Carnotaurus appeared and walked right up to them. Arez slowly stepped towards it, growling, Chompless did, but she saw the look in its eyes, and she put her hand in front of Arez, " **Hold on just a second. I'm getting an odd feeling about that Horned Sharptooth.** " she said. He backed down and she approached it, " **Hello, Chompless. Noblefoot sent me to make sure you and Chomper are okay.** " It said. She needed to test it, " **What's the secret word?** "

" **Bleeding fate.** " It said. She immediately lowered her guard, " **Well…uh…we were just about to head back home. And…** " she said but then the Carno noticed Arez and gasped. She knew, " **Who is…?** " the Carno began to say. " **That's…my brother, Arez.** " she answered. It was beyond surprised, and Arez shyly waved, " **This…this is...let's get back to Noble. See what he thinks of this. Come on.** " It said, turning around and walking.

They all exchanged glances and followed it. They walked for a couple of hours.

But as they were getting close, they heard a gurgled growl close by.


End file.
